Stolen
by SLH
Summary: Gambit has stolen the one thing that has given Magneto hope. How far will Magento go to get it back? !Warning! Review Section may contain spoilers for this chapter o
1. OPP

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Disclaimer: All characters owned by Marvel Comics.

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Continuity: This story takes place in AOA (though a lot of things are changed). So if you don't know: Legion (Xavier's mentally disturbed time travelling son) went back in time to when Xavier and Magneto were still friends and killed his father accidentally (He was really trying to kill Magnus, but missed). So because Legion killed Xavier (his father) he was never born—the universe changed and Magneto decided to carry on Xavier's dream, gathering mutants together to fight for peace. So in short, Xavier is dead and Magneto is running the institute (Yeah I know, I suck at explaining things). Anything else that needs to be explained will be mentioned in the story.

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Stolen

Prologue

Other People's Property

The surrounding area was unusually quiet. The wind was still and the creatures of the night did not make any sounds. Even the nightly explosions, which would normally occur every hour, had ceased for the moment. 

Spooning, Remy held her in his arms, in such a way that it would be impossible for him to ever let her go. He held her as if it was his first time, because it was his first time; his first caress, his first kiss, his first love…Rogue.

Of course there were other women before her. Although, no one else was able to touch his heart the way she had. She reached the depth of his soul, at a time when a touch of her skin would result in his death. But that was in the past; now he was finally able to feel her sensual skin against his warm body.

He observed the bulky collar, which circled her delicate neck. Originally, it had been smuggled from Genosha and placed on the black market. He paid a hefty price for the device, but concluded it was worth it—the evidence lay curled beside him on the bed. 

Not everything went according to plan because he waited a few weeks too long searching for a mechanism to aid him in touching Rogue. He had suspected for some time now that she wasn't a virgin anymore, tonight he was certain. He could never claim to be her first—Eric would have that honor. However, he would not let his anger for Eric consume him. How could he when he now possessed Eric's woman…and he had no intention of giving her back. 

It hadn't taken him long to coerce her into wearing the collar—that part was rather easy. The hard part was getting her to think only of the moment, diving headfirst leaving the consequences of their actions to another day. Within time she had finally relented, resulting in their present predicament.

He moved his hand down the front of her body, resting on her lower stomach. _She'd always wanted a family—a bunch of kids. I never really liked de li'l brats, but for her I would do anyt'ing…even become a papa. _However, he had gotten off to a bad start, deciding instead to be responsible, practicing safe sex. _We'll have plenty of time in de future t' t'ink 'bout raisin' a family. T'night is jus' de beginning of de rest of our lives toget'er…_

His thoughts trailed off upon hearing sniffling noises beside him. "Rogue?" He whispered with concern. "Are ya cryin'?"

"Uh-huh." She whispered, rubbing her nose against the sheets. She would not look at him, keeping her back against his front. "Ah shouldn't have done this." She cried into her pillow. "Eric will…"

"Shhh." He said trying to hush her. Lovingly, he stoked her long auburn hair, admiring the white streak down the front. "You don't have t' worry 'bout him t'night. We can talk t' him in a couple of days when he returns from D.C."

Her heart sank with his words. She rolled over to face him, pulling the covers higher against her naked body. "No we can't. Ah can't tell him about this."

"Fine, we don't have t' tell him not'ing." He replied, distracted by the flashing green light of the collar, which aggravated his eyes. Carefully, he turned the device around, so that the beaming light was at the back of her neck away from his face. "He'll get de message when he comes back an' sees our empty closets." Cracking a smile, he traced his fingers against her arm, moving up and down her smooth skin. "Sure, I would love t' see de look on his face when he learns 'bout us…" Shrugging he added, "But if ya don't wan' t' face him, I can understand dat too."

"No, yah _don't _understand." She moved her arm away from his hand. "Yesterday before Eric left, he asked me tah marry him."

His red eyes flashed through the darkness, causing a chill to run down her spine. "What?" Shaking his head in disgust he grumbled, "Dat pervert actually went dat far an' proposed t' ya?"

She snapped with fury in her emerald eyes, "He's _not_ a pervert!"

"Rogue, you were barely 16 when ya arrived here. He was like a father t' ya—him bein' 26 years older. Couldn't he find a woman his own age t' fuck?" 

She sat up, outraged by his comment, "What did yah say?!"

He grabbed her arm before she had the chance to escape from the bed, forcing her to look at him. He could see the anger in her face. "I'm sorry." _No I'm not_. "How did he react when ya turned him down?"

Her tense muscles relaxed underneath his grip. She lowered her eyes to the bed in search of the words to speak. She noticed the remainder of a scar over his heart, taking the time to reflect on the battle that gave him the mark—how bravely he preformed. It made everything else harder for her to say. 

"Ah didn't turn him down." Mustering the courage, she looked him in the eyes, "Ah said yes."

Remy let the silence fill the air. He wasn't mad at her, reasoning that he probably would have done the same thing if he were in her place_. A couple of weeks ago, dere was no way we could have touched. I know how much she wanted a family, 'til t'night I wasn't able t' give dat t' her._ "Eric was de only guy able t' touch ya, so I don't blame ya for sayin' yes." His long index finger traced the ring around her neck. "But now ya have de collar. After t'ree years I can now touch ya. Jus' tell Eric dat ya changed your mind. He'll understand." _No he won't._

"Yah don't get it, Remy." She braced herself for the worst_. Ah hope this won't turn into a big argument._ "Ah _want_ tah marry, Eric. Ah love him."

Despite doing his best to told it in, Remy burst out with laughter. As if on cue, he witnessed the heat building up in her face, turning her cheeks red. _She hates when I laugh at her, but how I can take her seriously when she talks shit._ Placing his hand under her chin, he explained to her as if she were a child, "Naw, ya don't love Eric. You're jus' confusin' your loyalty t' him wit' love."

Slapping his hand away, she yelled, "Stop tryin' tah tell me how Ah feel!" His condescending tone was what pushed her to explode. _He never takes what Ah say seriously, when it comes tah Eric. He treats me like Ah'm some brainwashed kid._ "Ah _know_ what Ah want…" 

He snorted then looked away from her, causing her anger to increase. 

It was she that now forced him to look at her by getting in his face. "Ah know _who_ Ah want."

He didn't believe her. "Den what 'bout us? I t'ought what we had was special?" The fact that they were both naked on Eric's bed did not escape him. "Or do ya jus' fuck _anybody_ when Magneto's away?"

Instead of feeling angry, she felt guilty. How could she explain to him that what had happened between them was just a momentary lapse in her judgement…how would she explain it to herself? "This shouldn't have happened. Tahnight was a mistake…"

"Mistake? Mistake?!"

Her eyes widened with the realization that she had finally managed to push him too far. His red eyes that would normally flash when he was angry, where now blazing with rage. "Calm down." However, she new he was too far-gone to calm down so easily.

"Tell me, Rogue, when did ya realize dis was a mistake? Did ya realize it when I fucked ya on de dresser, against de wall or on dis bed?! Maybe it was when I was eatin' ya out or you were suckin' my…"

A slap across the face stopped him mid sentence. "Fuck you!" 

Holding the sheets against her body, she stormed towards the door, hoping that she wouldn't bump into the other X-Men in the hallway. 

Not caring that he was naked, he jumped out the bed. Remy caught her before she could make it through the door, spinning her around to face him. She struggled against his hold on her, trying to brake free from his clutches.

"Stop it." He ordered; she still continued to struggle. "Stop it!" 

She stopped, realizing that it was pointless. He would only let her go when he wanted to let her go.

"T'ree years, Rogue. Dat's how long I waited for ya. De hardest t'ing I ever had t' do was be dis close t' ya an' _never_ cross de line—_never_ touchin' ya accidentally or purposely, despite wantin' t' so badly. Losin' myself in your mind would have been worth losin' my life." He spoke with intensity, brought on from years of heartache. "You can't tell me it's over, not after all dis time. Dis can't be all dere is for us." He hungrily pressed his lips against hers, easing up only when she returned his kiss with the same amount of passion. 

He broke away from her, both breathing heavily. He knew he would lose her if he didn't do something drastic. He would have to quit all the games he had been playing and tell her how he truly felt. But it wasn't so easy for him to do, for him expression his true feelings was terrifying. 

He swallowed hard taking a deep breath. With a lump in his throat, he whispered, "Rogue…I love ya."

She looked at him dumbfounded, hearing those words from his lips for the first time, once believing that she would never hear them from him. _He loves me? _She was suspicious. _Does he love me, or does he love the idea of takin' me from Eric? Maybe, it doesn't matter either way._

"And I know ya love me too." _She has to. _"Look me in de eyes an' say ya feel not'ing at all for me an' I'll leave you forever." His proposal was a gamble, knowing that everything could crumble if she did not share the same feelings toward him. He had to take that risk, even though he knew that he might not be able to live with the consequences.

"Remy…" She whispered, her fingers twisting in between the bed sheets that kept her body covered. "Ah have feelin's for yah—Ah always will. Yah're right, Ah _do_ love yah but…"

"But?" _How could dere be a but after de words: I love you._

"Ah'm not _in_ love with yah. Ah _am_ in love with Eric." She could feel his grasp on her shoulders decrease in pressure. She could see the defeated look in his face. It was as if she had kicked him in the stomach. Rogue knew she had hurt him, but still she pressed on. "Mah love for Eric—Ah've never been more sure of anythin' in mah life…especially after tahnight." 

She bit her bottom lip in frustration. _How can Ah tell him that Ah jus' needed tah feel the touch of another man—tah know what his touch felt like? How could Ah be sure Ah loved Eric, if he was the only man Ah was capable of bein' with? _

Eric's touch is gentle, knowin', secure. Remy's touch is passionate, intense, filled with lust…Ah really do love him, but not enough tah spend are lives together, not enough tah raise a family. He's never serious, too immature when we are away from the battlefield. 

But the truth of the matter is, Ah made a promise tah always be there for Eric and Ah don't intend on breakin' it—Ah can't.

Remy felt as if she ripped his heart beating from his chest and stomped on it three times wearing a 4-inch stiletto. He found the strength to let go of Rogue with the knowledge that he would probably never touch her again. Thinking his world was now shattered to pieces, he slowly backed away from her. 

Without another word, he searched for his clothes, only stopping to put on his boxers, holding the remaining things in his hands. After fully regaining his composure, he brushed her aside in reach of the doorknob. 

"Remy, Remy wait."

The door was slightly open, but he did not pass through. "Why? Dere's not'ing left t' say."

__

He is right. There is nothin' left tah say that can ease his pain—so Ah won't bother tah try. "Don't tell Eric that Ah slept with yah."

Instead of letting the tears fall from his eyes, he snickered. _After all dat happened, de only t'ing she wants me t' do is keep quiet_. He past through the door, still hearing her plead.

"Remy…please don't tell…" Her words were silenced by the closing door. "…Eric." She finished, though he was already gone.

Letting the bed sheets drop to the floor, she grappled with the collar, succeeding in removing it from her neck. _There! It's off!_ She thought triumphantly.

Rogue circled the furnished room, her eyes stopping at the sight of Eric's ruffled bed. Falling to her knees, she suddenly burst into tears.

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*(two days later)*

Remy LeBeau climbed into the open bedroom window on the 15th floor of a ritzy hotel. With complete silence he walked through the dark bedroom out the open door into the hallway. He could see that a dim light was on in the living room a couple of steps away. 

He entered the living room, quietly observing the white-haired man siting with his back turned in an antique chair. Remy's open hand turned into a fist as he thought about how easy it would be to kill the older man at that moment. He regained control of his emotions, never being the type of person to murder someone when their back was turned.

__

Eric Magnus Lehnsherr. Never in my life would I have ever t'ought it would come t' dis between us. With his fist he banged on the wall, replicating the sound of knocking outside the door.

Eric did not stir from his seat, too deep into the novel he was reading. "Whoever it is, I'm busy." He said, eyes moving across the words in the book.

"Too busy t' see your best friend?"

Eric's head jerked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Remy was leaning against the doorframe leading into the room, dressed completely in black clothing.

"…Or should I say, _ex_-best friend." Remy finished saying, removing the shades from his face. He moved to sit in the vacant seat across from Eric, slouching casually in the stiff chair. The two haven't been best friends in months, choosing instead to be cautious of each other—being in love with the same woman can do that to a friendship.

Placing the novel on the coffee table between them, Eric curiously eyed him. "What are you doing here in D.C.?" Suddenly he leaned forward in his seat, fearing the worst. "Is there a problem back at the base?"

"Nope, dere's no problem." He reached into his pocket; his hand re-emerged filled with a deck of playing cards. "Besides de fact dat I found out 'bout de engagement."

Eric kept an eye on Remy's hand, unsure of what his emotional state would be. "I see, Rogue told you." _What was she thinking, telling him something so serious without me being there? There are very few things that make Gambit fly off the handle—our engagement would be one of those things._ He took a sip of brandy and placed it back on the coffee table. "Rogue and I agreed that we would wait until I came back before we informed anyone."

He began to shuffle the deck of cards. "I guess she jus' couldn't wait t' spread de good news." 

__

I better calm him down before he explodes. "Look, Remy…"

"Stop!" He yelled, with venomous rage. He so badly, wanted to tell Eric he slept with his fiancée, but it would have been useless. He only had Rogue for one night—wining the battle, Eric would have her forever—wining the war. 

Eric knew better than to interrupt him when he was in a confrontational mode and remained silent.

"I don't wan' t' hear your excuses. I don't care dat she was de only person t' make you feel again since your wife died. I don't wan' t' hear dat she was dere for you after your daughter was murdered. And I _really_ don't wan' you t' tell me 'bout how deeply you love her."

The master of magnetism could no longer keep quiet. "I _do_ love her."

"No, _I_ love her!" He interjected, slamming his fist against the table. "You were supposed t' help me find a way t' touch her! But instead, you found a way t' touch her yourself." _I will never forgive him for dat. _"We were friends Eric. Ya fucked over your best friend!"

He looked out toward the window, too ashamed to look Remy in the eyes. Feeling guilty with the knowledge that if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn't change anything. Now that he was with Rogue, he couldn't imagine being without her. There was a part of him that couldn't blame Remy for any ill will he was feeling. _If he's this mad now, I'm glad he never found out how far my deception truly went. _He tried to offer a lame excuse. "I never intended to fall in love with Rogue." 

"Yes ya did. Ya _let_ yourself fall for her! Ya said, 't' hell wit' Remy's feelings' an' went after her, _knowin'_ dat I would get hurt in de process."

__

How could he believe that I set out to hurt him? Folding his fingers on his lap he relented, "If that's what you want to believe, then there is nothing I can say to change your mind."

"We were best friends an' ya let a woman come in between us." He whispered, opening up his heart slightly so that his pain could be felt.

"No, I believe _you_ were the one who let her come in between us. Even after all that has happened, I still consider you to be my best friend—though you seem to feel otherwise."

Remy chuckled. He knew that as long as he still had a breath of life, their friendship would forever be lost. "Ya know what I wan' t' do right now?"

"No, I do not."

"I wan' t' firmly place my hands 'round your neck an' squeeze, slowly takin' your life as ya gasp for air." He had a distant smile, imagining Eric's cold limp body underneath his long warm fingers. "I would do it to…'cept dat I know you would put up a force field de second I get too close t' ya."

Staring at the intensity of the man he knew so well, he was positive that Remy would make good on his threat. _Still, he does have the power to make me combust with a mere thought. However, I know his style. He is the type who would prefer to torment the person he truly hated. Spontaneous combustion is, in his own words, 'too humane.' _

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I've come here t' inform ya of my resignation." 

Eric was shocked. _Resignation?! He's has to be joking. Rogue and I have been together for weeks, and he has managed well—or so it seemed._

"Yes, I was able t' stay around when ya made your feelin's for Rogue public, but I won't be able t' stay t' witness your marital bliss."

His heart was heavy. Not only was Remy once his closet friend, he was also the second in command of the X-Men. Eric saw in him, the natural ability to lead, something that could not be found in just anyone. Not even Eric's son, Quicksilver, had that ability. Eric was prepared to turn over his Legacy, the dream that began with Xavier, to Remy when the time was right and he could no longer go on leading the X-men. 

__

How can he just turn his back on all that we had worked for so easily? "You are an asset to our team." _More than just an asset…_"Despite the feelings between us, I would think they could be put aside for the greater good."

He waved his hand, "Not interested…"

"But the cause for justice…"

"Fuck de cause." He mumbled. Nothing seemed to matter to him anymore, let alone justice for mutant kind. He stood up, noticing how carefully Eric watched the playing cards in his hand. "Ya don't have t' worry 'bout me. Most likely, you'll never hear from me again." 

Eric nodded his head, still trying to think up ways for him to remain on the team—remain his friend. "I wish that you could at least leave on better terms. Maybe after a few weeks, you'll look back on his day with regret. If so, the door is always open for you to return." 

Eric reminisced on the moment their friendship solidified with an action of sacrifice. He remembered how weird it was to relate with someone so different from his dearest friend Charles. 

Even after all that took place, Eric couldn't accept that the thief would leave. He foolishly thought he could have the best of both worlds—Rogue's devotion and Remy's companionship. _I'm half way there. _

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I see how deeply I hurt you, again that was never my intention. The only thing I can do now is ask for your forgiveness…"

__

De bastard jus' doesn't get it, does he? He stared him down, fighting the anger in his voice, "Dere will _never_ be forgiveness. Rogue was mine an' ya stole her from me. You stole de one t'ing I ever loved." The unnerving expression on Eric's face caused Remy to laugh darkly. "Ya stole Rogue an' Rogue stole my heart." _How could de thief in me every let such a t'ing happen?_ He mused to himself. 

Remy's face changed from a smile to nothing at all. Turning his back on the man he once respected more than anyone in the world, he whispered, "As of now, you're dead t' me—both of ya." 

Walking away from his former colleague, his heart transformed into a dark shell, devoid of all emotion.

Remy disappeared from Eric's sight, down the hallway. He left as quietly as he came…like a thief in the night.

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Author's Note: If you know about AOA, you can tell that I changed some things and if you don't about the AOA, you don't have to worry. There will be other X-men appearing—and the story won't be a total downer. I much rather write an easy-going, carefree Remy :0)

Okay peeps, review and tell me what you think.

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Next Time: Despite his promise of leaving forever, Remy returns in search of Rogue.


	2. Snatched

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Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel Comics except Blow.

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Stolen

Chapter One

Snatched

They squatted deep in the tunnels of New York. They didn't always live in the sewers; at one time they lived a lavish lifestyle on the surface; However, a mistake was made which resulted in their downfall. Not ones to give up so easily, they spend their time eagerly plotting to regain their riches and return to the surface. 

"I fucking hate this shit-hole." Ororo Monroe mumbled to know one in particular. She was about to go mad from boredom after hours of staring at the walls of the dreary tunnels.

Squatting a short distance away from her was Guido. He lived for action and adventure and all the waiting around was driving him crazy. "Where the fuck is Gambit?!" Guido demanded to know as he stormed through the tunnel impatiently.

Ororo followed him with her sharp blue eyes as he paced the room. She leaned casually against the wall waiting a couple of moments before she gave him an answer. "For the last time, he's going to be gone for a couple more hours."

Guido stomped over to her staring her directly in the eyes. "Well, then how come he didn't tell us himself?" 

" 'Cause I'm here that's why." She raised an eyebrow, brushing her white hair from her face. She knew he thought she was lying, but she didn't care.

He searched her face for any sign of deceit, but what he saw was nothing. _I hate it when she returns always comin' and goin' when she pleases. Remy doesn't even care when she splits, but when she returns he's always with her. Is it love? I wouldn't call it that. _Guido despised her. As much as he respected Remy's decision-making skills, he still couldn't see what Remy saw in her. Actually he did see—Her body was sculpted in a toned physique. She had thick white hair, icy blue eyes and beautiful bronzed skin that contrasted her ugly heart. He had never met anyone so ruthless—and he has known a lot of bad guys. _Maybe that's why Remy likes her--She's so passionate in her wickedness. She's the only person that can bring him out of his world of indifference. _

"…And don't ask me anymore questions. Your very presence is beginning to irritate me. Go brood somewhere else." 

He looked at her with contemped, turning away from her he mumbled, "Fuckin' bitch."

Her eyes widened catching the last part of his sentence. She walked behind him, forcing him to turn around. "What the fuck did you just call me?"

__

Fuck, she heard me. "Listen, I didn't mean..." Before he could finish his sentence her fingers gripped his testicles. "Shit!" She applied pressure as excruciating pain ripped through his lower body. He crumbled to his knees, dubbing over.

She bent over him, her fingers still firmly in place. "Apologize now."

"S-s-sorry! I'm sorry!" 

She released her grip as he curled to the floor covering his private area. "Go make yourself useful someplace else." He didn't move. She realized that he was in too much pain to leave, but she didn't care. Placing her hands on her hips she said sternly, "That's an order."

He mustered all of his strength together and very slowly managed to get up and wobble away.

Standing across the room, Sunspot watched Guido stumble away feeling the other man's pain. "Damn, that's gotta hurt!"

Jubilee smiled at Sunspot, always ready to tease him. "I bet you wish that was your nuts in her hands."

"Fuck off, Jubie," he growled walking away. 

Jubilee focused her attention back to Ororo who seemed to be in deep thought. She also had questions about Remy's unannounced disappearance and figured that she had a better chance getting the information out of Ororo. Jubilee skipped over to her side, popping the gum that was in her mouth. "Hey, Storm. What's Gambit up to anyway?"

She uncrossed her arms shrugging her shoulders at the younger girl. "All he told me was that he had a job to do."

__

A job? That doesn't sound right. Jubilee narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And he didn't want us to come along?"

"Guess not."

She pressed on. "Is he gettin' paid?" 

"Don't know." Her icy blue eyes concealed the lie that she let slip from her lips. _Yes I do know, but I'm suppose to keep it quiet._

Jubilee looked away from her, pondering the idea that her boss was actually doing 'a job' without the crew. "Maybe it's somethin' personal." She thought out loud.

"Maybe you're right." The weather goddess answered, knowing that Jubilee's assumption was correct.

****

*meanwhile*

She noticed the balcony door was open. That detail caught her off guard because she would never have left the door ajar. Slowly she crept up to the door, silently opening it further. Standing on the balcony was a dark figure with its back turned to her.

The figure was tall and slender. _Could it be him?_

The hair was shorter than she remembered, but still he looked a lot like… "Remy?" Rogue whispered cautiously.

He answered with his back still turned to her. "She still remembers my name. I'm glad I'm not so easy t' forget."

His voice sounded light to her, free of any aggression. She relaxed her tense muscles slightly, glad that he didn't seem to be in a vengeful considering how he felt that last time they spoke. 

As he stood on the balcony, it soon dawned on her that the only way he could have gotten so close to the mansion was by bypassing the security system. _Why did he break in? He could have easily knocked on the front door_. She began to get defensive. "What are yah doin' here?"

"Shh…" He slowly began to turn around, only exposing half of himself to the light. It was then that she realized that he was holding something in his arms. She gasped once she recognized what the 'something' was. "You'll wake de boy." Again, he turned his back to her, nearly holding her baby boy over the banister.

Her heart tightened in her chest as she whispered, "Remy, be careful."

He chuckled softly, stroking the boy's delicate cheek. "Do ya t'ink I'm a cults?" Gently he began to rock his arms. "I'd never drop him accidentally." …_Purposely, on de other hand…_

"Give him tah meh now!" She demanded, afraid of what he might do if she took even the slightest step.

__

She looks like she's gonna shit her pants. "Take it easy, chere." He added a lightness to his voice to ease her anxiety. Walking over to her, he placed the boy into her waiting arms. 

She grabbed him eagerly, her body finally able to relax. She noticed that her son was really heavy in her arms because he was sound asleep. _Ah can't believe he's sleepin' already..._

"I heard t'rough de grapevine long ago dat ya had a kid," he stated nonchalantly. "How ol' is he?"

"He's four."

Cracking a smile, he looked over the baby boy. "De kid's small, but he's not dat small. How ol' is he exactly?"

__

When did he become such an expert in guessin' children's ages. "He'll be five soon enough."

"Hmmm." He pondered rubbing his stubble. "Dat could possibly mean…"

"Don't even think about it. There is no way that he could be _your_ child." She stated with conviction, but she could tell that he wasn't convinced. "We used a condom, remember? When Eric and Ah made loved for the first time we didn't use protection." Rogue focused on the floor as she spoke on. "Turns out Ah was pregnant with his baby the night yah left."

"De night I left?" He was willing to say what she could not. "Ya mean de night we had sex—we made love. Or maybe ya were havin' sex an' I was makin' love, non?" _She's makin' it a point not t' look me in de eyes_. 

Remy brought his attention back to the boy curled in her chest, going over the features that were not hidden as his face pressed against her chest. Even though the boy's features clearly came from his mother, his head full of white hair totally gave him away as the biological son of Magneto. 

Turning away from him, Rogue walked through the sliding door, as her son's breath warmed her neck, and into the master bedroom she shared with her husband. She could feel that Remy was following close behind her even though she could not hear his footsteps. 

Rogue placed the child on her bed, covering him with his favorite blue blankie. She was surprised that the boy did not stir in his sleep after being moved around so much. _He mus' really be tired. _

Hearing the familiar sound of Remy's powers charging she swirled around in his direction. "Don't yah dare!" 

He froze standing with his kinetically charged index finger only inches from the cigarette between his lips. "What?" 

"If yah mus' smoke, do it on the balcony."

His eyes twinkled with amusement at her maternal instinct. "Care t' join me?" He turned around and headed back into the balcony without waiting for her to answer. 

He blew couple of puffs into the air, standing at a place where the wind would carry the poisonous smoke in the opposite direction of where Rogue stood. "So, where are de other kids?"

She knew that the question would be asked sooner or later. "We only have one child."

"One?" He asked in disbelief. "Ya always wanted a big family. Ya should be on your third kid by now."

With a sigh, she began her tale, "About two years ago, Eric went on a dangerous mission. It turns out the mission was more dangerous then we first expected. Eric was unknowingly exposed tah some chemicals that had a lastin' effect on him. He was examined and the results had a minor effect on his body—his DNA. The effect made it so that if we attempted tah have another child, there would be an increased chance of a birth defect…"

"I bet ya dat him not bein' able t' have anymore kids had not'ing t' do wit' de chemicals an' everyt'ing t' do wit' ol' age…"

"What?"

He cracked a smile, "Ol' Magnus has a limp dick."

"It's not limp!"

"Yeah, it is." He squinted his eyes, giving her a devilish grin. "Ya know I'm in top shape. I can have plenty of kids." He took a deep puff of his cigarette. "Bet ya wish ya would have left wit' me dat night years ago."

"By meh stayin' here I am the _wife_ of the leader of the X-Men, helpin' the fight for mutant/human relations." Crossing her arms she continued, "If Ah would have left with yah, Ah would be the _concubine_ of a rebel thief." She adamantly shook her head. "Ah don't regret mah choice."

"Ya wound me." He looked hurt, however a smile soon covered his face. "But you're right."

Rogue admired his carefree attitude as he leaned against the balcony banister. Five years had past, yet he still seemed like the same guy she had always known. "So it's true. You're back tah thievin'."

"Yup." His answer came quick and without guilt—she didn't like the sound of that.

__

If he is back tah his old tricks again, Ah shouldn't be so free with him. "So, whose side are yah on?"

"De side wit' de most money."

__

Wrong answer. She nervously skimmed the area, looking for any sign of an ambush. "Why are yah here…really?"

He quickly assessed her body language. _She's suspicious. I better take it easy_. "I've come t' speak wit' Magneto. I have some information dat I'm sure he would find useful." He took a glance around the area. "Is he in?" 

After some hesitation, she decided to give him a truthful answer. "No."

"Well, I can give him de message personally. Where did he go?"

There was no way she was willing to give him that information so easily. "Ah can't say."

"Ya _can't _say, or ya _won't _say?" He waited for an answer that never came. "Ya don't trust me, huh?" He didn't need her to confess her distrust, it was written all over her face. "I don't care. Dis info is t' benefit de X-men. But I can't force ya now, can I?"

"What is it about?"

"De Bandits." His eyes dazzled at the surprised reaction on her face. "I heard dat de X-Men were lookin' for deir hide-out."

"And yah know where they are?"

"Yup." He spoke while he examined his half-smoked cigarette. "I stumbled across de info while I was on another job. I t'ought it best t' give Magnus de heads up. I _know_ dey're up t' shit."

"Why would yah help us after all these years of silence?"

"I got not'ing better t' do." He caught her as she rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smile. "An' between ya and me…De Bandits have been screwin' up my business. Let's jus' say dat I wouldn't be sad if dey were _taken _out of commission."

"Why can't yah jus' do it yourself?"

"I'd much rather de X-men do it." He then lowered his voice to a whisper, "Dat way, my hands are clean."

After some thought, she concluded that she could give away her husband's location. "He's goin' tah be gone for two days. He's stayin' in D.C."

"T'anks, for de heads up."

She watched as he turned around as if to leave—she didn't want him to. "You're welcome tah stay…" She called out to him. Once he turned back to her she added, " 'Til Eric returns, of course." _Yes, it would be nice if he would stay here permanently, but Ah won't even delude mahself with that thought. He obviously seems tah be happy with his life the way it is now…and_ _so am Ah. But he was such a good leader. Everyone here loved him…_

"_Ya _wan' me t' stay?" Stepping closer to her he added, "Are ya suggestin' what I t'ink ya are?" He softened the tone of his voice, "Eric's in D.C. so we can now, 'get it on'. After all, it's tradition." He brought his hand up to touch her cheek.

"Ah don't think so." She blocked his touch before it reached her face. 

Remy noticed right away how she covered her bare hands with her sleeve, before she pushed his hand away. _What a shame_. "All these years an' ya still can't control your powers." He pulled his arm back to his side. "I'll go t' D.C. in search of Magneto. It's better I get de message t' him right away." 

"What's that?" She asked pointing to a lash mark on the side of his face, hidden by his hairline.

"A scar."

"Ah know. How'd yah get it?"

"Had an operation years ago."

__

Mus' have been after he left 'cause that scar wasn't there when he was on the team. "What kind of operation?"

"I didn't wan' t' feel anymore." His voice sounded hollow, devoid of any emotion. _I t'ink I was a li'l on de crazy side for awhile_. "I wanted t' have my empathy ripped from me."

"Mah goodness." _It's dangerous tah mess around with mutation_. "Did it work?"

"Oui an' non."

He scared her. _He's able tah kill with a mere thought_. She noticed the slight slip of his eyes to her chest. Was he looking at the hint of her cleavage or the diamond necklace around her neck—she didn't know for sure.

He stepped closer to her, putting his arms around her back. "A kiss before I go?"

__

Here we go again. "Remy, Ah'd kill yah."

"It'll be…"

"Worth it." She finished his sentence with a smile.

His eyes danced with amusement. "Seems like I've been recyclin' my lines." His fingers traced up and down her back. "I better get a new script."

[1] Rogue felt a slight shock. "Oh mah Gawd." She then realized that his bare hand was touching her exposed skin. "How'd yah do that?"

"Turns out dat I'd always had de capability t' touch ya. My powers give me a natural shield of protection. I could of touched ya all along. We probably could have figured dat out on our own if we weren't so damned careful all de time." 

__

Could he be tellin' me the truth?

"Ask Eric, he knew all about it." 

"Why would yah say that?" She didn't believe his accusations. "Eric wouldn't have kept somethin' like that from meh."

"He knew. Ya know how smart he is. He knew." He looked up into the night's sky. "He didn't wanna tell us 'cause he was afraid of what would of happened."

"You're full of shit."

"Maybe I am." He answered with a careless shrug of his shoulders. "I guess it doesn't matter now t' ya anyway, right? After all, ya have no regrets." He searched her face for any sign of regret; however, if she did have any, she kept it to herself. "Got t' go."

Without a moments thought he lowered his lips to hers only to be stopped by her turned head.

"We shouldn't."

"Why?" He gave her a wink. "Afraid of where it might lead?" 

She chose to lower her head instead of giving him a direct answer. 

He let out a disappointing sigh. "What about a hug from one ol' friend t' another?"

How could she turn him down? Even after everything that had happened, she still considered him her friend. Plus there was still a place deep inside her that felt guilty about the way he left many nights ago. 

She was hesitant when putting her arms around him, but was then able to fall into his arm as if no time had past at all. He wrapped his arms tighter around her back, the palm of his hands moving slowly up her body. 

She let out a gasp as she felt a sharp object plunged into her back. Her knees began to buckle as she searched his face for an explanation, unable to speak.

"Take it easy." He whispered, gripping her tightly so that he could secure her in his arms. The poison he injected into her body pumped through her veins, leaving her limbs paralyzed.

She managed to whisper out one word. "Remy."

"Shh." He hushed as her pupils began to roll to the back of her head. He carried her through the balcony door, back into the bedroom. With grace he placed her on the bed touching her skin whenever possible, after so many years of not being able to do so. He leaned over her, his hand tracing from her fingers to her arms, stopping at her dress straps.

****

*the next morning*

The rays from the morning sun blazed through the window, warming her face. Her heavy eyes rolled open as she felt her head throbbing in pain. Moaning, she closed her eyes again, rubbing her temples for some relief. Her eyes popped open as the event of the right replayed in her mind. 

__

He drugged me! 

When she fully realized she had been placed on her bed she gave herself a swift pat down, making sure everything was how she left it. Her hands quickly past over her underwear and up her dress. Nothing seemed out of place. _Ah haven't been undressed. _Her hands darted over her neck…it was bare. 

__

Ah was robbed…The bastard actually took mah necklace! 

She sat up on the bed as her anger began to diminish. A missing necklace seemed trivial considering that she first thought she had been raped. She felt ashamed for even thinking that Remy would ever do such a thing. _Yes he is a thief, but he was never a rapist. _

She let out a soft sigh of release, wondering if anything that Remy had said to her was true. _Is he really gonna go tah D.C. tah help Eric?_ Mostly likely the answer was no. _Ah better call Eric and let him know that Remy showed up and may be up tah somethin'. _

Without looking, she stretched her hand out to the other side of the mattress, feeling the softness of a small wool blanket. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked to the other side of her large bed. 

The baby blue blanket was folded neatly next to the pillow…but her little boy was gone.  
******

****

Author's Note: [1] In Gambit 16, Remy's full mutant power is restored. He then realized that his powers gave him a natural protection to touch Rogue—but she would feel a slight shock. 

Thanks for all the previous reviews. What do you think about this chapter?

Next Time: Remy returns back to his hideout and Eric returns back to the mansion.


	3. Finders Keepers

****

Note: ok, no lie this chapter was finished a little over a year ago, but I was trying to save it on a disk (b/c my friend's computer had just crashed and she lost everything and she warned me to back everything up on disk). Turns out the disk was faulty and I lost much of the chapter. Ever since then it was really hard for me to rewrite everything again (it will never be the same as the original), but here is the best that I could come up with.

****

Stolen

Chapter Two

Finders Keepers

It was early in the morning at the home base of the X-Men. Rogue stood at her balcony door with the letter she found earlier on her night stand pressed against her chest. She had re-read the note repeatedly, her anguish increasing each minute that past without her son. 

Remy had given her a choice. If she could trust the thief, everything would work out fine; however, if she couldn't take him at his word, she might never again see her son.

__

No, no, no! Remy wouldn't do that tah meh. He couldn't! Her hands began to shake as she crumpled the letter and stuffed it into one of her pockets. 

__

Please, Gawd. Please watch over mah son, she prayed silently as she wiped her tear filled face and blew her nose into the sleeve of her blouse.

"Morning, Rogue."

__

Shit! Startled, she spun around just in time to see her cherry-faced team mate barge into the bedroom. 

The elf eared mutant's pale purple skin looked dimmer in the dark room. She zigzagged the area with great familiarity as she tied her maroon hair in a long ponytail.

"Mornin' Clarice," Rogue responded, trying to act as normal as possible. However, by the look on the other women's face, Rogue assumed that she wasn't doing as good an acting job as she thought. "Is there a problem?"

"You tell me," she said as she tilted her head, giving Rogue a look over. "Your eyes are reddish and your face looks kinda puffy."

"Allergies," she stated with subtle annoyance. "Is there a reason yah're here?"

Clarice, also known as Blink by code name, furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked around the grand room. "Where's little Charles? He wasn't in his room so I assumed he must be in here." She noticed a blank expression on Rogue's face. Placing her hands on her hips with little patience, she reminded, "I'm suppose to take him out this morning, _remember_?"

__

Great, jus' great! It took all Rogue had to keep from bursting into tears at that very moment.

Clarice noticed the look of worry on Rogue's face, but was prepared for her reaction. "Don't worry, girl. I did a scan of the area; there's no sign of any abnormal activity. Charlie will be safe within our borders, especially with me keeping an eye out on him."

"Nah, it's not that, Clarice." She tried her best to stay calm. "Charlie is in his playroom with the robotic nanny. He changed his mind about wantin' tah go outside today."

"Really?" _That doesn't sound like Charlie._ "He seemed so eager yesterday morning to go out. He rarely ever goes anywhere because of safety reasons."

She forced a carefree smile. "Oh, yah know kids. What they want changes every second of the day."

Clarice nodded her head in agreement, willing to admit that Charlie was extremely fickle at times. "Well, I'll go down and take a quick peek at him…"

"No!" Rogue yelled before she could stop herself. 

Clarice looked at her, wondering what provoked such an outburst. 

__

All raht, time for damage control. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't mean tah yell at yah." She ran her fingers through her hair unable to hide her jitters. A sudden thought popped into her mind, regarding Remy. "Yah can't check on Charlie 'cause Ah need yah tah check our security log…the time last night between 9:15pm to 9:45pm."

She looked curiously at Rogue, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. "Why?" 

"Because Ah want them checked," she answered simply.

__

That's an old request. "Was there a breach in security?" She asked, taking a step closer.

"Nah…"

"Something abnormal?"

"Nah…" 

"A malfunction?"

"Stop with the fuckin' questions!" Rogue yelled.

Clarice stared at her leader in shock. However, if she was waiting for another apology, there would be none that time.

Rogue continued on with no remorse, "Jus' shut yahr yap an' check the damn logs…understand, _Blink_?" 

"Yeah, I understand," she headed toward the door and added, "_boss_."

At that moment, Rogue didn't care about Clarice's hurt feelings. Her only child was missing, snatched from the one place where he was suppose to be most secure. Taking out the now crumpled letter from her pocket, she read it over again and began to cry.

****

*hours later*

"He should be here by now!" Sunspot yelled unto deaf ears. 

The abandoned team mates paced their section of the NYC sewers waiting for their leader to return. It was not unusual for Remy to take off from them, what was unusual was the fact that he gave them no word he would be leaving…well, most of them. Only one in the group knew where Remy was headed and the only reason she knew was so that if he didn't make it back, she would know why.

Guido had a bad feeling deep down inside he found hard to shake. In a moment of mistrust, he uttered, "If I didn't know any better I'd say he's out doin' a job wit'out us, which means he would be gettin' _paid_…wit'out us."

Sunspot pointed at the large man and said sharply, "Luckily, ya know better!" Standing in the center of the room, looking each one in the eye, he stated, "Gambit would _never_ stiff us." 

All eyes stared back at him, willing to except his words—it made sense, he was speaking the truth.

However, a sudden impact of doubt and confusion still lingered in Sunspot's mind. "Still this ain't like him," he mumbled, showing signs of worry.

Guido knew what the other man was implying and was willing to say what he would not. "What if somethin' happened to him?" He could hear gasps all around him, angered that he would say such things aloud. Still he continued, "What if _they_ got him?"

Jubilee looked up over to Guido with worried eyes. "Who?"

"Ya _know_ who," he answered shaking his head. "Payback's a bitch."

"Ain't no way he got caught. He's too good to get caught." Sunspot stated absolutely. "Am I right?!" He called out to the others as a rallying cry. All he received in return was the silence that filled the grim atmosphere. The reaction caused what little hope he had left to disappear. 

Ororo watched the entire scene from one of the ragged sofas. She had had enough of the group's pity party. "You all are acting like a bunch of scared babies!" Looking over to Guido she asked, "Didn't I tell you he would be back soon?"

"Your word means shit to me," he answered, spitting a glob of phlegm on the ground.

Jubilee was sitting down on the cold floor with her knees pressed against her chest as she hugged them. All the talk was scaring her. They were acting as if Remy would never come back and if that were true, what would happen to her?

Remy had found her three years earlier—two years after she discovered her powers and was abandoned by her foster parents. He found her on the streets begging for food and offered her a way out. All she had to do was join the team and he would provide for her. He protected her without wanting any 'favors' in return, which instantly made him different from all the other men who had approached her all those years ago. 

After all that Remy had done for her, the thought of him alone in need of help caused her to react. Standing up suddenly, commanding her team mates' attention, she suggested, "Maybe we should go up top and start a search for him."

"Finally!" Guido yelled, standing by her side. "It's about time _somebody_ said it."

Ororo rolled her eyes, not wanting to move from her comfortable position. "Do you think it's _really_ that necessary?"

"Yeah," Sunspot answered simply. "He'd do it for us."

Even Ororo had to admit that Remy had been gone for longer than she had anticipated. _Maybe he didn't get the job done—especially if he ran into her, he might second guess himself_. 

Standing up from where she sat and positioning herself in front of the group, she mumbled, "You fucks are going to get me killed." Motioning her hand in the air for them to follow, she ordered, "Let's go!"

Ororo started to walk toward the exit, leading the pact and willing to except the fact that if she wasn't careful, she would never make it back. 

A dark figure swooped in front of their path, blocking their exit. 

"Everyone can relax…_Gambit_ has arrived!" Remy greeted with a pompous bow.

They all ran excitedly toward Remy and crowded in front of him.

"Shit! Where have ya been?!" Guido asked in relief.

Sunspot slapped his arm around Remy's shoulder. "It's about fuckin' time!"

"We were jus' about to go look for ya." Jubilee informed him, puffing up her chest with pride.

Guido's attention wandered behind Remy, over to a small figure tucked away in a corner. "Who the fuck is that?!"

If his dark glasses were off, they would have noticed the twinkle in his eye. "I'll give ya t'ree guesses."

Sunspot was first to speak, "Yo, mama?"

Remy rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but grin. "Nice try, _asshole_. Now ya only get _two_ guesses."

"I know," Guido said as he snapped his fingers. "It's that midget on that old show that always, said, 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis'."

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Ororo interrupted in disbelief. "That other kid's _black_. Tell me you notice that this kid's _white_ and that you're not really so goddamn stupid."

"_Bitch_, who ya callin' stupid?" He demanded, while instinctively covering his private part at the same time. 

Remy noticed Guido's actions with concern. _Looks like 'Ro's been gettin' physical…again._ Remy stepped in between the two before things could get out of control. "Dat's enough, ya two."

"Naw, it ain't," Guido protested. "Ya were gone for a couple of hours and Storm thinks she's in charge of us."

"That's because I _am_," she stated with authority.

"I said, dat's enough." He took the time to look both of them in the eyes even though they could not see his. "Forget 'bout who _was_ in charge. I'm back now so none of dat shit matters."

"Who is he, Rem?" Jubilee interjected, catching Remy off guard.

"What? Oh, yeah." With a bright smile on his face, he took off the boy's hat, exposing the child's shinny white hair. Even though no one besides the X-Men had ever laid eyes on the boy, there still was no mistaken whose son was before them.

Jubilee's mouth dropped open in shock, "Get the shit out of here!"

Remy nodded with pride as he walked across the room followed excitedly by his team. 

Sunspot shook his head slowly in disbelief, trying to force the words out his mouth, "No way…that can't be…_Magneto's_ kid?"

Ororo gave Remy a playful push. "I can't believe you actually went through with it!"

"Hey, I thought ya didn't know where he went." Jubilee said angrily. She hated being lied to and wanted an explanation, but Ororo choose instead to ignore her.

"He's worth a shitload!" Guido yelled, stating the obvious. 

"More like 25 shitloads," Remy mumbled to himself, too soft for anyone else to hear.

"Who did ya steal him for?" Sunspot asked looking up from the child.

Remy knew that that question would come sooner or later and answered coolly, "De less ya know de better."

"Where am Ah?" A tiny soprano voice asked from the other side of the room.

They all turned around to see the boy sitting up with his legs crossed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"And the kid is awake!" Jubilee yelled as she jumped up and down while clapping her hands in excitement.

They all walked back to the boy, the curious looking at him with great wonder.

The last thing little Charles could remember was playing in his parent's room. His mother had placed him on her bed and told him to stay put—she had forgotten his favorite book in his room and had left him for a moment to retrieve it. He remembered sitting on the large bed playing with his baby blue blanket and suddenly feeling like he wasn't alone. He saw a pair of eyes—glowing red eyes—and felt a sharp pain on his arm and then…nothing. 

Now he seemed to be the center of attention. Little Charles looked around at the five faces that towered over him unsure of what was happening. He noticed a tall beautiful lady with dark skin and long white hair that reminded him of his father as well as himself. He so wanted to give her a smile, but she looked at him with cold eyes. He found her reaction to him rather unusual considering most women would usually gush over him. 

Beside her stood a very large muscular man with a cleanly shaved head and a frightening grin. Charles wasn't positive, but it looked like the fat man was drooling.

Charles quickly shifted his gaze to the next man, who had a head full of dark hair, piercing eyes and red markings over and around his eye brows. The man stood silently, slowly rubbing his hands together with anticipation. 

The boy's eyes then settled on a girl who seemed to only be a couple of years older than he was, but was probably a young teenager. She had a big smile on her face as she chewed on some bubble gum and gave him a wink. Charles would have stared at her forever, temporarily forgetting his situation as he gazed upon her friendly face; however, another man stepped forward capturing his immediate attention. 

The man stood tall and slender, his eyes covered with dark sunglasses. For some reason Charles assumed correctly that _that_ man was in charge and was the one with all the answers.

Charlie picked himself from off the floor and stumbled over to the tall man that was dressed entirely in black. "Mistah, where's mama?"

"I haven't got time for dis," Remy mumbled in frustration as he turned his back to the boy. Holding out his hand impatiently, he ordered to Sunspot, "Get me some more of dat sleepin' drug so dat I can stick it in de kid."

He shook his head in response. "Ya give him anymore so soon ya might end up killin' the squirt." _Remy doesn't need me to tell him that._

Charlie scurried behind Remy, tugging at his jeans. "Where's daddy?" He asked, his green eyes seemed to sparkle in the light giving the sense that he would soon burst into tears.

Remy looked down at the child and was stunned by how much the boy truly favored his mother—it was uncanny. "Well if ya can't drug him, take him—I got t'ings t' do." Placing his hand at the back of Charlie's head, he nudged the boy toward Ororo. "Don't let him out your sight—he's under your charge." 

"What?" She looked at the boy with distaste before yelling at her leader, who was already exiting the room. "It's because I'm a _woman_, isn't it?! I don't even like kids."

Charlie watched as the man in black left his sight, feeling deserted. He then rested his big puppy-dog eyes on the woman who was summoned to take charge of him. "Where's Pietro?"

She sucked her teeth in response, choosing instead to follow Remy. Before she left, she pointed her finger at Jubilee. "You take him."

The young teen smiled sarcastically. "Gee, thanks a lot." She looked down at the child and couldn't help but feel for him. _He looks so lost, the poor bastard. He must be shittin' his pants_. She scrunched down getting to his eye level as she reached into her pocket. "Hey, kid."

He hated to be called kid. Uncle Victor always called him kid because he loved to tease him. "My name is Charlie."

"Hi, Charlie," she greeted with a warm smile. "Ya want some gum?"

Reluctantly, he shook his head, frowning. "Ah'm not suppose tah take candy from strangers, mama says."

"I'm no stranger." Tilting her head she added, "I'm Jubilee."

That was all the conformation he needed. "Okay." He smiled happily as he grabbed the gum from her hands and shoved it into his mouth.

"Now, ya better not swallow it," she warned with authority. "If ya do it's gonna take seven years to come out the other end." _I think I'm gonna like havin' the kid around. Now I'm not the youngest and can boss him whenever I want_. She giggled to herself as she watched him happily chomp away on the gum, opening and closing his mouth with great exaggeration. 

"So your dad's Eric, huh?"

"Uh-huh." 

"I see him on T.V. all the time. He's a cutie…for an ol' guy." As she spoke, she searched the room for something to pass the time. She soon found a pack of playing cards that Remy must have left lying around. "Let's play some cards."

Remy entered one of the next rooms where he could spend sometime to himself, mentally going over his plans. He plopped himself down on one of the ratty sofa chairs that littered their makeshift home. 

His head was pounding again. He knew that the pain would go away soon enough, but it still troubled him. _Never use t' get much headaches 'til after de…operation._ He quickly put the thought out of his mind, knowing that soon he would be able to rectify the situation—if all went to plan.

In a matter of seconds, Ororo appeared in front of him with her hands placed on her hips, taking him away from his thoughts.

His eyes traced up her body until they reached her annoyed face. "Didn't I tell ya t' watch de kid?" Remy asked with a raised brow.

She let out a heavy sigh. "You _know_ I hate kids."

"Oui, I know," he answered simply.

"Anyway, I passed him on to Jubes."

"But I asked _ya_ t' do it," he said as he pointed his index finger at her.

Shrugging her shoulders carelessly she wondered, "What difference does it make?"

__

De difference is I know Jubilee's heart an' I don't wan' her t' become too attached t' de boy. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the moment. He had more important needs to take care of first.

Reaching into the pocket of his leather jacket, he pulled out a diamond necklace that sparkled in the dim lights. 

"A present."

"For me?" She asked with outstretched hands. He always use to shower her with gifts, though they've become less frequent due to their present situation. She raised the necklace above her head as she admired its beauty. "It's absolutely darling—it must be worth a small fortune." Lowering her hands, she looked at him with a guilty smile. "Where'd you steal it from?"

He chuckled instead of answering her question. It never use to matter to her where he got his 'presents'.

His refusal to answer her question only drew suspicion. Changing her tone of voice, she asked. "I guess I should have asked, from _whom_ did you steal if from?"

"Rogue," he answered plainly.

Her expression changed as if she had just tasted something bitter. "I don't want it," she replied, handing it back to him.

With a croaked smile, he replied, "Ya never had a problem wit' wearin' stolen jewels."

"I don't." Dropping the diamonds into his open hand, she added, "I have a problem with wearing stolen jewels that belonged to…_her_."

Shrugging without a care, he put the item back in his coat pocket. "Fine. Ya don't wan' it; I'll jus' pawn it de next chance I get."

"You still love her?"

"Do ya really care?" He retorted in an instant.

"No, not really," she answered with little thought.

He chewed on her question for a while, wondering if he should give her an answer. After a moment of internal debate he said, "I feel not'in' for her."

"You feel nothing at _all_." Crossing her arms over her chest she mused, "The Dark Beast fucked you over, big time."

Holding the jewel toward the light, he laughed darkly. 

Certain times she looked at him and thought that he was insane—this was one of those moments. 

"Don't ya worry. De Beast will get what's comin' t' him sooner or later." 

Thoughts of revenge began to float away from his mind the longer he stared at Ororo, giving her a seductive smile. He had always found her hard to resist and at that moment he couldn't keep his hands to himself. Stepping closer toward her, he backed her up against the wall. 

She moved her head to the side avoiding his approaching lips. "I'm not in the mood."

"Dat's okay," he replied with a grin. "All I need ya t' do is jus' stand here wit' your legs slightly open—I'll do de rest."

"Sex on your command was never in my job description."

"T'ink of it as more of an employee bonus, like free dental plan," he quipped.

She raised a brow, amused by his antics but far from turned on. "I'm not your whore Gambit; go find someone that will be." 

He removed his hands from her waist, taking her suggestion into consideration.

Breaking away from him, she said, "You're lucky that I even bothered to come back here with you guys now that you're in this shit hole."

"Don't try an' fuck wit' me Storm," he warned. "De _only_ reason why ya're here is 'cause ya're marked an' have nowhere else t' go. Ya're not doin' me any favors." He left her side, about to leave the room they were in.

"Where are you going?"

"I got a few t'ings t' take care of before de plane gets here."

"Like what?"

"Never mind. Jus' make sure ya don't let de kid out of your sight. An' keep him away from Jubes while you're at it."

"Who are you leaving in power?" She asked with a devilish grin that reminded Remy of himself.

"Ya chere, jus' don't get drunk wit' it." He started to head for the door then turned around abruptly, shaking his finger ruefully at her, remembering what he had witnessed earlier. "An' no more grabbin' balls; I t'ought we _already_ talked 'bout dis…"

Rolling her eyes with a stubborn smile, she mumbled, "Whatever."

****

*(Later On)*

Rogue had spent the better part of the day in her bedroom, trying hard to avoid seeing any of the X-Men. Her thoughts were only on her son as she counted all the hours that had past since the boy had been snatched. 

Clarice had informed her hours before that security last night was running smoothly without any hint of a problem. Rogue wasn't surprised by the report; she knew that if anyone could sneak in and out of the mansion without leaving a trace it would be Remy.

****

Knock, knock, knock

She remained where she was hoping the person standing on the other end would just go to hell. 

****

Knock, knock, knock

"It's locked for a fuckin' reason!" She yelled, having long ago run out of patience.

The door opened slowly. "Not quite the welcome I expected."

She recognized the voice immediately and turned around to see her husband standing at the door. "Eric!" She screamed as she ran towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She felt safe in his arms, always had; although now the feeling of safety was being replaced with the feeling of dread. 

__

How can Ah ever tell Eric what happened? Maybe Ah won't have tah.

"Now that's more like it." He held her close to him, his hands tracing up and down her back. 

She pulled out of the hug, seeking his loving face. "Yah weren't suppose tah be back 'til tomorrow."

"Are you disappointed?" He teased.

"Of course not."

"The Washington meeting wrapped up sooner than expected," he replied hurriedly, wanting to ask her something he noticed when he first stepped into the room. "What happened to your necklace?"

"Huh?" She placed her hand on her bare neck, pretending that she wasn't exactly sure of what he was speaking about, "Oh, Ah uh…"

"You said you would never take it off." He had given the expensive piece of jewelry to her months before as an anniversary gift—a small token of his undying love for his wife.

"Ah was in the *Killing Room trainin' so Ah had tah take it off," she lied as best she could. "Ah guess Ah mus' have left it there—Ah'm so forgetful at times…"

Placing his hand underneath her chin, he agreed, "Yes, you are." He took a glance around the room. "Where's my little Charles? I brought him back something."

She had to think quickly on her feet, not having an excuse already prepared. "He's—he's nappin'—with the nanny—in the playroom."

__

No, no that's not right. "Napping? At this time of day?" _He's always running around the mansion around this time._

She smiled nervously. "Charlie's caught a bug—yah know how tired he gets when he's sick."

Eric wasn't wasn't buying it. He reached down into his bag fishing for the gift. "My present will make him feel better."

"No—don't!" She had to regain control of herself, before she could arose suspicion from him. "Ah think he has the flu. He's really contagious. Ah wouldn't wan' yah tah catch anythin'—plus he's sleepin' so peacefully."

Nodding his head, he stood up placing his hands on her hips. "You're right—you're always right. I'll let him sleep." He traced his finger down her white streaked hair. "Besides, I missed you so much."

She bit her bottom lip, wanting to confide in him so badly, but knowing she could not. "Ah missed yah too, sugah."

"No." Stepping closer to her, he repeated, "I really, _really_ missed you."

The look in his eyes—she has seen it many times before and knew precisely what it meant. "But yah jus' got back and the X-Men…"

"They'll be fine on their own for a while." He lowered his head to her neck, taking in her sent. How he waited and longed for this moment as he journeyed back from the nation's capital. "The others already know not to disturb us," he whispered as he began to trace his lips down her neck.

Reluctantly, she relented and gave into his sexual advances. He focused all his concentration on the fastest way to get her out of her clothes not realizing that she was just going through the motions and didn't care. 

Her eyes never left the clock. 

****

*that night*

Remy bobbed his head to the heavy beat of the music that pounded through Angel's Night Club. He looked around the dark room to the dance floor, watching the many bodies swaying to the music. Turning back around to the bar, he picked up his beer bottle taking sips, barely noticing the woman that took the empty seat beside him. 

Kathryn Pryde had been watching the man dressed entirely in black from the moment he entered the club. The truth is that most all of the people in the know had been watching him, but she was the only one with the guts to approach the living legend. 

Kathryn arrived at the club an hour before with two of her college friends thanks to her fake ID. She needed a brake from all her studying and was now glad that she decided to go out.

Still she had to make sure that the man beside her was who she thought he was. Tilting her head to the side, she tried to get a better look at his profile without him knowing.

__

It's him! It has to be! I can't believe it—Shit! She caught his eye, and quickly turned her head as if she had not been staring.

Remy chuckled to himself, knowing he had an admirer. He stared at her blatantly, until she looked back at him then asked quietly, "Can I buy ya a drink?"

"Huh?"

He smiled inwardly, loving the fact that she had given him the response he was looking for. He now had the opportunity to lean in closer to her, getting a better smell of her vanilla flavor body lotion. Whispering into her ear, he asked again, "I said, can I buy ya a drink?"

__

New Orleans accent—it is him! "Nope," she answered coolly, in a flirtatious manner, "but you can buy me two."

Looking over to the beautiful bartender, he yelled, "Jules, two shots over here."

She took a heavy breath not expecting him to order something so strong. Kathryn gave Jules a small smile as the bartender placed the two drinks in front of her. Bracing herself, she picked up one glass as she faced Remy. "You're not going to join me?"

Cracking a smile, he stated, "I'm watchin' my intake. I'm de designated driver for de night."

She gave him a quick look over and responded, "You don't look like the type."

Watching as she quickly shot back her first glass, he replied, "Looks can be de—"

"Woow!" She yelled out uncontrollably as the harsh drink made its way down her throat. Wiping her mouth with her hand, she extended her other hand and said, "My name's Kathryn, but everybody calls me Kitty."

He looked her over amusingly, taking her hand and caressing it gently. "Dey call me…"

"Gambit," she said before she could stop herself. _Great_, she thought sarcastically,_ I'm sure he thinks I'm a stalker. _Blushing, she continued on shyly, "I've heard much about you."

__

Looks like I have a fan. "It's all true," he stated with confidence.

Narrowing her eyes sharply, she questioned, "Even the one about you stealing…"

"_Especially_ dat one," he cut in with a bad-boy grin.

"Wow!" She exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "You are like such a legend though you have been a little quiet lately. I heard that you were dead or in jail or…"

"None of dat really matters now, besides I'm on a tight schedule," he added glancing down at his digital watch. _It's time t' cut t'rough all de bullshit. _"So are we gonna t' do dis or what?"

She nodded her head, fully understanding what he was implying. "I'm up for it, if you're up," she whispered as she uncrossed her legs and stood up, her short skirt becoming even shorter in the process.

Taking all of her in with his eyes, he agreed, "Yes, I'm definitely _up_."

****

*some time later*

Remy was sitting back at the bar, feeling rejuvenated. He had a croaked smile on his face remembering what took place moments before in the stall of the men's washroom. 

He felt a large hand on his shoulder, cutting into his moment of reflection.

"This is a club for dancing, _not_ blow jobs."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know," he answered innocently, recognizing the voice behind him. Remy turned around on the stool to face a tall man with deep blue eyes and long blond hair.

"Gambit, you son of a bitch!" Warren Worthington greeted as he placed his arm over Remy's shoulder, giving him a semi-hug. "Where have you been keeping yourself?"

"On de low, ya know, jus' takin' care of some business," he answered with a smile and a shrug as if everything were really easy going.

Warren shook his head knowingly. "That's not what I heard."

"Really?" Chuckling, he wondered, "What _exactly_ did ya hear?"

"Word on the streets is that you were pushed to the underground—literally." He gave an evil grin referring to Remy's new home in the sewers of New York City. "By your own father none the less."

"_Adoptive_ father," he corrected taking a gulp of his beer.

Looking at him as he drank his beer he thought, _it seems as if Gambit doesn't have a care in the world—but I know better. _"Heard you've been disowned." Warren tried to contain his joy as he continued, "Something about a failed, what do you French people call it? Ah yes, a 'coupe de grace'."

"Good pronunciation."

"Merci Beaucoup." 

"De rien." With a wink he added, "Don't believe everyt'ing ya hear." He took another gulp, emptying the contents of the drink and slammed it on the counter getting the bartender's attention. "Hey, Jules. One more over here…naw, make it two an' water it down some."

Warren signalled to Jules, stopping her from placing another bottle in front of her customer. "You might want to take it easy. I'm calling up your bar tab."

"What?" He couldn't believe that he of all people was being treated that way, until it dawned on him. Raising his brow, he asked, "Ya t'ink I don't have any money, is dat it? Ya been listenin' t' all de li'l assholes around here an' t'ink dat I have no money." 

"So you're _not_ broke. Jean-Luc _didn't _milk you of everything you own?"

"Hey…_fuck_ Jean-Luc. I got my own." He motioned for Warren to come in a little closer then whispered, "Listen, I'm gonna be comin' into a lot more money soon…a lot." He paused a moment making sure the playboy was taking in his every word. "So ya don't wanna fuck wit' our relationship…understand?"

Warren assumed he was probably lying, but Remy was such a sweet talker he couldn't help but believe everything that he was hearing. "Jules!" He yelled over the loud music as he clapped his hand to get her attention. "Mr. Lebeau has finished his drink; send him another one."

Remy nodded his head in satisfaction as two drinks were placed before him in a timely matter. Looking back to the other man, he said, "I always knew ya weren't stupid."

Warren leaned in closer to the thief, wanting to unload something that had been weighing his mind for sometime now. "You have to tell me one thing, though."

"What's dat?"

"I have to know if it's true." Lowering his voice, he wondered, "Can you still blow people up just by looking at them?"

Remy slowly lowered the glass from his lips. "What kind of question is dat? Of course I can."

"Come on, I'm sure you heard the rumor. _They_ say that you lost _that_ power that's why you fucked up when trying to take over the Guild from your father. _They_ say that's why you never blow people up anymore."

"Yeah, well it's all nonsense," he said shaking his head. "_Dey_ don't know what de shit dey're talkin' 'bout."

"Then how come I never hear anything about you blowing people up in a long time?" He observed as Remy drank the last of his drink, not making eye contact. "You better do something fast. People aren't scared of you anymore. And when people aren't scared they start losing respect…and once the respect is gone…I start calling up bar tabs."

Remy shifted his eyes from the empty bottle over to the other man, staring at him intensely. "So ya wanna see me blow someone up…now?"

Giving the thief a quick glance, he was almost sure the man was bluffing. "Yeah," he answered with anticipation. The thought of actually watching someone being consumed in a spark of light was thrilling to him—that was until he noticed the eerie expression on Remy's face. _Shit! I hope he's not thinking about… _"Wait a second…"

The fear in Warren's eyes was so apparent to Remy even though he could not feel it. Moving his eyes over the man's body, he asked, "What about a body part?"

"You're fucking crazy," he answered in nervous laughter trying to contain his fright.

Remy delighted in the reaction he was getting, resting his eyes on Warren's hand. "What about _your_ pinkie finger? It's not really dat necessary." His eyes began to flash through the sunglasses.

"Okay, shit! I give up," he said, holding his hands in the air showing defeat. "You win, you win. You're still the man."

"I know." The glow of his eyes subsided. Picking up his other drink, he warned, "An' if anyone tells ya different, dey're fu..."

"Fucking assholes," he finished, knowing Remy's favorite curse phrase. "I know, I know…" Warren was saying until a hand on the shoulder caused him to stop mid-sentence.

"Mr. Worthington we have…"

Warren looked up to see one of his employees over him. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a conversation?"

"I'm sorry, sir." The dark hair employee looked over apologetically to Remy. "Excuse me, Mr. Lebeau—glad to see you back." Refocusing on his boss, he said, "I just wanted to let you know that the security camera just captured one of the X-Men entering."

__

Fuckin', shit! Remy thought to himself, though he continued to slip his drink as if everything were normal. 

Warren took a quick scan of his club, failing to spot the intruder with his own eyes. "Does it look like trouble?"

"No, no trouble. There is only one X-man and he's in civvies. I just wanted to give you the heads up," he said, knowing that Warren wanted to keep on top of anything that happened in his establishment. 

__

Dat's my cue t' exit. Remy stood up, dusting off his pants. "Listen, Warren, I'm gonna take off." He began searching his pocket for a tip.

"So soon?" 

He nodded his answer, noticing that the other man was watching him intensely. _De bastard really wants t' make sure I'm on de up an' up_. With total ease, he removed the diamond necklace from his jacket, placing it in the tip jar as something only a rich man—or someone pretending to be a rich man—could afford.

Warren's eyes widened in shock. "Shit! And I thought _I_ had money to burn."

"Ya have money t' wipe your ass," he replied with a grin. "I'm de one wit' money t' burn." Remy was just about to make his move to leave…it was too late.

"Mr. Worthington."

Remy froze were he was with his back towards Warren and the X-man who's voice he instantly recognized.

"Pietro, nice to see you," Warren greeted the man with a firm handshake.

Pushing his hands in his pocket, Pietro gave him a bright smile. "Just thought I'd stop by."

"Any of the X-Men are always welcomed here, _especially_ if they're off duty." Another employee walked over to Warren and quickly whispered a message in his ear. Warren looked back over to Pietro. "I'm sorry there is a matter that I have to tend to. Excuse me."

"No problem," he replied, though Warren had already disappeared from his sight. Signaling to the closest bartender to him, he said taking a seat, "I'll have a beer."

It was then that Remy chose to get up, his back still toward Pietro. _I only have t' take a couple of steps an' I'll be in de clear…_

"I _really _appreciate the tip, Mr. Lebeau…but I shouldn't be so surprised; you always spoil me."

He stood still. _Shit_. "Anytime, Jules," he replied, forcing a warm smile.

Pietro's ears perked up. _Mr. Lebeau? _He looked up and a couple of seats down to his side and noticed the frame of a tall man who had his back turned to him. "Remy?" He asked cautiously at first, standing up just to make sure. 

Remy turned around knowing that he had been busted and sprinting out the club was not an option when dealing with Quicksilver.

"Remy!" The other men yelled with more certainty.

The thief studied the body language of his former mate blindly. _He looks happy t' see me—but if my empathy worked I would know for sure._ "Well, if it isn't Quickie!" He acted as if he were genially happy to see his old friend. He took the time to notice the changes the years had imposed on the other man and concluded that Pietro resembled his father more and more. "How's it goin'?!"

"It's going good!" He responded, still staring at the thief in disbelief. "Shit! It's good to see you!"

__

It is? "Good t' see ya too."

"How long has it been…like five years!" Pietro couldn't believe that so much time had passed since he had last seen his old friend. "I thought you dropped off the face of this earth. Where have you been?"

"Ya know, here an' dere," he mumbled, purposely avoiding a conversation about his travels after he left the team. "What brings ya out t' de club?"

"I was on leave. I had about two weeks off. I figured that I'd stop in for a beer before heading back to the mansion."

Remy couldn't suppress his smile, finally able to relax. "Right." _So he_ _doesn't know I have his lil' brother…Interestin'._ Able to fully relax, he asked, "So, how's de ol' gang doin'?"

"Everyone's doing well, you know, considering…"

"Considerin' de world's goin' straight t' hell."

"Yeah," he said, nodding in agreement. Looking his former team mate over and smiling brightly, he repeated, "It's really good to see you again. The way you left…it was so abrupt. I never had a chance to say goodbye."

He shrugged indifferently. "Nobody did." Swirling the liquid in his glass, he added, "I pretty much t'ought I over stayed my welcome." He took a sip from his glass. "How's your mother doin'?"

Ignoring the intended swipe, he answered, "_Rogue's_ great." He took some time in examining Remy's reaction, but there seemed to be none. "I know it may be hard for you to believe, but she and my father have a great marriage and a wonderful relationship."

"Oh, I believe it." Squinting, he asked, "Don't ya have a li'l brother as well?"

"Yes, I do," Pietro answered proudly. "He's a good kid."

"Is dat so? Well, it's good to know," he replied with hidden meaning. "Listen, it's been great seein' ya again, Quickie. But I have some other t'ings t' attend to."

"Don't let me keep you." Getting up from his seat with Remy, he said, "You know, there's always a spot open to you on the team…if ever you need a place to go." 

"I doubt dat invitation is still open after all dis time."

"Dad never spoke much about what happened, but it was obvious that he took your leaving badly. He thought it was all his fault."

He nodded his head in agreement. "Probably 'cause it was all his fault."

"Rogue picked him over you, Remy. How can you still say he was the sole person to blame?"

"Listen man, I know Rogue wasn't de innocent one. I guess none of us were really. Still I will always believe dat Mags stole her from me, but I'm not one t' harp on t'ings—at least not anymore." Pointing his finger at the other man, he reminded him, "An' don't ya stand dere an' try t' pretend dat ya were always supportin' deir relationship. Ya t'ought it was sick jus' like I did, like we _all_ did."

"Shit, of course I would have liked for my step-mom to be older than I am, so sue me."

"We all know dat ya would have liked more dan dat," he said leaning into him with a smirk. "Jus' tell ol' man Eric an' his beautiful wife dat dere's no hard feelings. Tell 'em dat we are even now."

He furrowed his brows, confused by Remy's choice of words. "I don't get it."

"Ya don't have to. Dey'll know what I'm talkin' 'bout," he said with a wink. "Hey, Jules," he called out with a wave of his hand, "Put his drink on my tab."

Pietro smiled at the approaching bartender. "If that's the case, I'll have another one." He sat back on the stool, taking his drink. "Thanks, Gambit."

"It's de least I could do." With a wave of his hand, he turned to leave. "See ya around."

Pietro gave a firm nod for a goodbye as he watched Remy disappear through the crowded dance floor. Turning back toward the bar, he picked up his drink, his eyes settling on a beautiful necklace around Jules' neck. Something about the jewelry captured his attention. "That's a beautiful necklace," he said catching her eye. "Where did you get it from?"

She held the gem, rubbing it between her fingers, her face beaming. "It was a gift."

"Must have been from someone special."

She giggled shyly, nodding her head in agreement. "You could say that."

Their conversation was interrupted by some commotion that was going on at the front of the club. Pietro spun around on his stool to see what was going on. He eased out off his chair to see if he could make out the scene, but soon sat back down realizing that he was too far to make anything out.

Spinning back around, he continued, "So, Jules…" his voice trailed off; the beautiful bartender had seemingly disappeared. _Gee, I wanted to ask her some more questions. _With a shrug of his shoulders, he downed his drink. _The necklace looked familiar._

Remy was about to exit the club when he noticed an excited crowd gathering back inside with Warren in the center of it. Sensing that something big was happening, he headed in the direction of the crowd, piercing the middle to speak to the man in charge. "Yo, Warren. What's all de fuss about?"

"You won't fucking believe it!" He ran his fingers through his hair, filled with astonishment. "Shit, if I didn't see you in this club myself, I would have thought you were behind it."

"Behind what?"

"There's been a massacre," he revealed, quiet enough so that outsiders wouldn't hear. "They were _all _wiped out."

"Who?" Remy asked as his heart rate increased with adrenaline, but Warren seemed too shocked to give him an answer, his eyes racing around the room. Remy grabbed Warren by the shirt, forcing Warren to look only at him. "Who de fuck are ya talkin' about?!"

****

*meanwhile*

Rogue lay on her bed listening to the soft snoring of her husband who slept with his face turned away from her. 

__

He fell asleep—he always falls asleep, she thought bitterly. Her eyes travelled across the room to the clock on the wall before resting back on Eric's sleeping form. She became increasingly angry with each breath he drew and jealous with every exhale. _How can he be sleepin' so peacefully when our son is Gawd knows where?!_ She fought the urge to shake Eric from his sleep and scream at him for being so relaxed.

Rogue caught her breath as he stirred in his sleep as if he could feel her negative energy. As she gazed upon the man she fell in love with, she rationalized, _What am Ah thinkin'? Ah'm the reason he is sleepin' so soundly—Ah'm the one who is choosin' tah bear this heavy burden on mah own… _

****

BEEEEP, BEEEEP, BEEEEP

Eric jumped out the bed in a slight daze. "Wh—what?!" Gathering his senses, he reached for his communicator. 

"Magneto," Victor's voice rang out through the device, "get _yer_ ass out here…now!"

The look on his face caused Rogue's anxiety to increase. _He mus' have heard somethin' about Charlie_. She watched as Eric hopped out of the bed naked, searching for his clothes. "What is it?!" She asked feeling a sense of dread.

He glanced over at her, almost forgetting that she was in the room. Tossing her uniform unto the bed, he commanded, "Get dressed—_now_!"

Obediently she did as she was ordered.

****

*moments later*

Erick breezed through the sliding doors into the control room with his wife a couple of steps behind him. The first person he noticed on deck was Bobby Drake aka Iceman and he could see the nervousness in the young adult's eyes. He then observed Victor Creed aka Sabretooth peering over Morph's shoulder looking at an individual computer screen. "What's going on?"

"The report just came in," Morph answered, as he pressed his ear piece further in his ear as the news report came across the wire. "Everything's still a little sketchy."

"What do you have so far?"

"11 mutants found slaughtered…" Victor informed, his eyes scanning over the words on Morph's computer screen.

"No, it's up to 17 and might go higher," Morph corrected as listened to the report on his ear piece, "And they weren't slaughtered—it was all _clean_ kills."

Eric leaned over Morph's shoulder supporting his body weight on the ledge. "Clean?"

"Not much mess at all…" he answered as he pressed the earphone into his ear. "I'm hearing now that the count is 24 dead."

"What the fuck?" Bobby shook his head in disbelief. "Where did this happen?"

Morph listened to the report a moment before he answered, "Queens…somewhere in Queens…"

"But why?" Bobby asked not liking the set-up one bit. "Was it an FOH hit or something done by the government?"

Erick shook his head. "I highly doubt the government was behind this. I was just in Washington and…"

"Holy fuck!" Morph yelled, ripping the piece from his air in shock.

All grew quiet in the room.

Preparing himself for the worst, the leader of the X-Men asked, "What did you hear?"

"The mutants that were killed," he replied softly, "…it was the Bandits."

****

*minutes later*

In the end the finally report confirmed that 19 were in fact dead. The X-Men would keep tabs on the Bandits and at last count there were exactly 19 members in the now extinct group.

The X-Men gathered together in deep discussion trying to figure out exactly what could have happened, although Rogue stood away from the huddle, choosing instead to keep to herself.

Since Eric thought against the government being behind The Bandits' demise, Bobby suggested, "This doesn't seem like an FOH job—if you ask me."

Eric rubbed his chin in great thought. "You may be right." 

Morph's attention drifted from the intense meeting long enough to notice Rogue's absence from the discussion. Spotting her across the room moving from one corner to the next, he discreetly left the circle and made his way over to her. He could tell right away that her mind was somewhere else and that she hadn't even noticed his presence. 

"Is something the matter, Rogue?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Why would yah ask?" She asked defensively as she narrowed her eyes.

"Because your pacing is making me dizzy," he joked as he wobbled around her as if he were about to collapse. She seemed too serious and he only wanted to cheer her up.

Rogue looked at him with cold eyes, her face devoid of any hint of humor. "Hell if Ah care." Without another word she left his company and continued on with her pacing. 

Taking offence to her reaction, he mumbled to himself, "What's her problem?" 

A gust of wind zigzagged through the control room not phasing anyone in the least.

"Welcome back, Quicksilver," Bobby greeted even before he could make out his field leader's shape, "though you are a couple hours early."

Pietro soon slowed down to a stop. "I came as soon as I heard about the Bandits." Looking toward his father, he added, "I thought you all could use me."

"How'd you find out?" Bobby asked.

"I was just in Manhattan and heard the news." Addressing the entire group, he asked. "Who do you all think is behind this?"

Morph shrugged his shoulders. "There are a lot of suspects."

Victor stood tall, crossing his muscular arms and injected, "Whoever it was—I'd like t' shake their hands." 

Eric had been going over the reports on the computer screen and did not react to Victor's disrespectful comment —he had expected as much from the bloodthirsty killer. 

Victor Creed looked around the room for his fellow team mates to agree with him; however, no one said a word, fearing their leader's reaction. 

"What?" The man-animal continued on, "Those guys have been on our asses for years—it was only a matter of time before someone would take 'em out." Again he waited in vain for a response. He waved them off with his hand. "Whatever. I know y'll are relieved they are dead—so don't try an' pretend otherwise. They weren't helpin' our cause in the least."

"I have to agree," Pietro responded. "I don't really give two shits about them. Why should we care?"

Eric never did like that kind of talk in reference to other mutants. What made it worst was that it came from his first born—a person son who he had raised to know better. "We should care because they were our brothers."

In a moment of bravery he rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, 'our brothers'," he restated mocking his father. "That didn't stop Cain from killing Able," he stated flippantly.

The large muscular leader zeroed in on Pietro, knowing that he still possessed the ability to intimidate most men, especially his son. "You watch your tone," he whispered with heavy bravado into the other man's ear.

"Yes, father," he replied obediently, lowering his head. 

As Eric walked away from him, Pietro made his way over to Morph. "You know, Cain killed Able out of jealously, but it was _Abraham_ that killed his son to please God."

"True." Morph replayed the familiar Bible story in his mind, realizing that Pietro had made a mistake. "But didn't God did stop Abraham before he plunged the knife into his favourite son?"

"Yeah, well, _my_ father would have still plunged the knife even after God said stop. What does father always say—no sacrifice is too great." 

Morph wiped his index finger against Pietro's bare arm before placing it in his mouth to get a taste. His suspicions were confirmed, "Yup, _someone's_ bitter."

"Shut up, Morph." Pietro then hit his head, wondering how he could have forgotten to spread the information he had received. Standing in the center of the room, he said, "Hey, not to change the somber mood, but guess who I ran into in the city?"

Eric was not impressed with his uncaring behavior after such a horrific tragedy. _This is suppose to be the person I am to leave the team to when I pass on?_ Silently, he said a prayer in hopes that he would die at a time when Charlie was old enough to take over. _I now have the opportunity that I didn't have with my other child to raise him with the skill and integrity to lead my men._ Upon further reflection, Eric could admit to himself that Pietro was great on the battlefield—_but not nearly as great as…_

"Remy Lebeau," Pietro answered his own question.

__

Why would Pietro even bring up the Cajun's name? Five years ago when Eric returned home from Washington and heard the news from Rogue that Remy had left for good, he had to pretend that it was the first time he had heard it. He couldn't bring himself to tell Rogue that Remy had already informed him of his resignation. At first Eric was sad that Remy had left, but as the months went on, his sadness grew to rage—a rage that he had to keep to himself. To him it was good riddance. Yes, he had once loved Remy as a brother, but he knew that they could never go back to their old relationship. 

Again he looked over at his first born. _Why would he bring up that scoundrel's name after we all have forgotten about him?_ Still, Eric couldn't help but notice Rogue's immediate reaction upon hearing the Thief's name. He watched her closely, not likely her knee-jerk response one bit. 

She replayed Pietro's words in her mind. _'Remy Lebeau'._ She somehow found the words to speak, "What?!"

He gave a nonchalant shrug. "I saw Gambit."

"So the fucker is still alive," Victor mused to himself. Months after Remy had first left the team, Creed had started to keep track of Remy's doings on orders from Eric—but information ceased almost a year ago. _Yesterday I would of bet good money that one of his enemies took him outta commission_. 

Rogue stormed over to her step-son, her face covered with an inkling of hope. _Ah knew Gambit would keep his word._ "What did he say?" 

Pietro shrugged casually, basking in the attention that he was receiving from all that surrounded him. "The usual, you know."

"Nah, Ah don't know," she responded, grinding her teeth angrily. "Tell meh _exactly_ what he said."

Pietro looked over her head to his father who was across the room and noticed that he was keeping a close eye on his wife. Her curiosity of Remy's exact words made him feel uneasy and embarrassed for his father. "He asked how everyone was doing…stuff like that."

"Did he say anythin' about meh?" She asked desperately, clinging to his every word. "Did he tell yah tah tell meh anythin'?"

He shifted his feet uneasily. _Has she no shame?_ "No…well kinda," he answered, suddenly remembering that he was told to give her a specific message. "Actually, he wanted me to say something to both of you."

"What?" She was confused for a moment before realizing that Pietro was referring to herself and Eric. It was then that she first realized how her behavior might have looked to others in the room. She didn't care how they saw her—her son took first priority.

Pietro looked more so to Eric than to Rogue as he relayed the message, "He said that there are no hard feelings."

"That's good to know." Eric replied with a nod, but in his head he didn't believe a word of it. He saw first-hand how Remy reacted the night he learned of his engagement to Rogue and knew that there would be no forgiveness—as Remy had once stated.

Rogue shook her head adamantly. "That can't be it. There _has_ tah be more."

"Why must there be more?" Eric asked with controlled anger.

Pietro responded in a whisper, "Actually, there _is_ more."

All eyes focused in on him as he continued on as if they all knew that something bad was lurking around the corner.

"He said that you all are now even with each other." For some reason, only now did that statement of Remy's seem to trouble him. It was then that he realized the eerie connotation that Remy's words possessed. "He said that you should know what he means."

She stepped closer to him and repeated his words with hesitation, "We're even?" 

Clarice entered the room, unaware of all that had taken place. "Rogue."

"He said, we're even?" She asked again, unwilling to believe the worst of what those words could mean. 

"Yes," he answered.

"Rogue." Clarice said again, placing a hand on her shoulder, forcing Rogue to spin around.

"What?!"

She could ignore Rogue's rudeness because she had something important to say. "Charlie is not in the playroom with the nanny. Did you send him somewhere else?"

Rogue shooed her away as if she were an annoying fly buzzing around her ear. Turning back to Pietro, she continued her interrogation, "Did Remy say anythin' else?"

"No, nothing else."

Clarice's words may have fallen to Rogue's deaf ears, but they were crystal clear to Eric. "Where's my son?" He asked Clarice, unsure of what was happening.

She threw her hands helplessly in the air. "That's what I'm_ trying_ to find out." 

Brushing Clarice aside, he moved toward his wife. "Rogue, where's my son?!"

She ignored him, totally focused on Pietro. "Are yah sure he didn't say anythin' else?!"

"Yeah…I'm sure."

"But it doesn't make any sense," she mumbled more to herself than to anyone else.

Eric became suspicious, not liking the fact that his son wasn't where he was suppose to be and his wife didn't seem to care. "Rogue, where is he?!"

"Shit!" She clutched her head and shut her eyes trying to shut out the whole world. _What the hell is Remy doin'? _"Let meh think; jus' let meh think!"

Eric wasn't about to waste his time waiting for an answer. Turning toward the huge computer screen, he ordered, "Computer, locate Charles."

After a moment of clicking noises, the computer responded: **Charles is not on the estate.**

All who were in the room froze in shock for they knew that Charlie had yet to ever venture from the grounds.

The leader let the words sink into his mind thinking that he had heard wrong. "What?" Stepping closer to the screen, he said, "Computer, clarify your statement on Charles."

****

Charles is not on the estate. He has been absent for exactly 21 hours and 46 minutes.

Eric turned to his wife, guessing that by her behavior since his return, she must have known all along. "Rogue!"

She was still facing Pietro, shaking her head in disbelief. "That bastard! He _tricked_ meh!"

Pulling her away from his first born, he asked, "Rogue, where in _God's_ name is my son?!"

"He's gone!" She yelled back as she retrieved the crumpled paper from her bra strap and threw it in his face. "He's fuckin' gone!"

Eric read the letter silently, his eyes speeding over the beautiful cursive writing, crushing the paper in his hand upon reading the last word.

"Remy has Charlie." 

The shock and dismay of the team was covered in a mask of silence.

Looking over to those under his command, he remained the pillar of strength without giving away the appearance that he was truly scared. "He wants a ransom." 

****

*meanwhile*

Remy now had to move fast. He made his way back to the hideout only after stealing a tinted SUV that he stashed near the entrance of a sewer hole. He trekked through the underground tunnels going through a complicated maze before he entered his hideaway. 

Sunspot shot toward Remy, itching to tell him the information he had received from reliable sources. "Did ya hear?"

"Yeah, I heard," he answered, breezing past the other man.

Sunspot followed behind his leader, wondering why the thief did not seem to take the news seriously. "Everyone will think that it was _us,_" he explained showing signs of distress.

"Naw, dey won't." Remy slowed down his pace to explain why he was so confident. "I was wit' _Angel_ when everyt'ing went down. He's already spreadin' de word dat we had not'ing t' do wit' it."

"Great!" Guido exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Now that the Bandits are gone, we'll be a step closer to being back on top—literally."

"No rush, no rush," Remy replied trying to calm down his overly ambitious mate. "We better take it slow, not t' arose any suspicion." 

"Who do you think did it?"

__

What de fuck kind of question is dat? "Come on Guido, we all _know_ who did it an' dey wanted t' pin it on us. Soon dey are gonna realize deir mistake." He noticed Ororo on one of the old sofas listening to their conversation while skimming through a magazine. "Where's de kid?"

"He's in the back," she answered.

He took a step toward her not liking when someone on the team doesn't follow a direct order. _Sometimes it's hard for people t' understand dat I say t'ings for a reason. _"Didn't I tell _ya_ not t' let him out of your sight?"

She stood up and pointed to another room behind her. "He's with Jubes…"

"I don't wan' him wit' her. Get him," he ordered as he grabbed her arm and pushed her in the direction that she had pointed to. He watched as she glared at him, but soon disappeared through the passage way to do what she had been told. He took the time to assess the way he had treated Ororo; knowing her as well as he did, he should have been prepared for her disobedience. _She's a great ally, but she won't follow an order I give dat she deems is beneath her._ He then realized his mistake. _I should have let her know her job was truly important…well, it's too late now; I jus' have t' prepare for de consequences._

In the next room, Jubilee smiled as she held her cards close to her body as Remy had always taught her. "Go fish!"

Ororo entered and watched as Jubilee and the child played their little card game.

"Go fish!" The girl repeated as the boy began to wine.

Ororo watched as the boy puffed his pouty lips and reluctantly picked up a card from the pile in the center. Her heart sank into her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a feeling—it wasn't like her. She tried to shake the emotion—was it guilt?—from her body. She called out, "Jubilee, get him ready. Gambit's back."

She waited for the young teen to acknowledge her and watched as Jubilee began to pick up the pile of cards. Ororo's attention drifted when she heard Remy's voice growing louder from the other room. 

"What do ya mean, no plane?!" Remy yelled into his cell and waited for an excuse. 

Ororo listened as Remy continued, "Dis job was only suppose t' take two days, tops! Ya're tryna get me killed aren't ya?" He asked as she noticed him smile as if he was willing to except his fate. "Right now dey're probably scannin' NY for us." He sighed heavily. "Yeah, fuck ya too." He shut his flip phone making eye contact with the Weather Witch.

"What's wrong?"

"Dey're shittin' me over, Stormy," he could see her about to react to him calling her Stormy, but before she could object he continued, "Turns out de government has issued a no fly zone—I guess everyt'ing is now on lock down 'cause of what happened t' de Bandits. Dey can't get de plane t' me t' pick up de kid. Now I have t' drive all de way t' de—de place I'm suppose t' make de delivery." He had caught himself just in time before he gave away too many details about his plans. "De odds of me getting' caught now are t'rough de roof."

Shaking her head in agreement, she suggested, "Maybe it's a sign. Maybe you should bring the boy back to his mother—his family."

He looked deep into her eyes trying to make sure it was indeed Ororo he was speaking to and not a shape shifter. "Be careful, chere, ya know how I am. Ya say de wrong t'ing an' I'll kill ya wit'out hesitation—fuck it, if I'm wrong or right." _But it is 'Ro, I know it for sure 'cause she was about t' get on my case for callin' her dat pet name before I cut her off. _He relaxed his muscles knowing that she had been very close to getting her throat slit. Looking her over with amusement, he wondered, "When de fuck did ya grow a conscience?"

"About 30 seconds ago," she answered truthfully. "He's just a child."

He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "A child worth 25 mill." He watched as her eyes bulged out in shock. "I didn't tell ya, did I?"

"Fuck no!" She said, unable to contain her glee. "What are you waiting for? Leave now, we got you covered." 

He chuckled at her reaction. 

"Make sure you come back safe…"

"…wit' de money," he added, knowing her far too well.

"If you don't have the money with you, don't bother plan on coming back," she said with a wink, although deadly serious.

"So you're leaving now?" Sunspot asked seeing Remy reappear with a bag in tow.

"Yup."

"Where ya going?" Guido asked. "When will you be back?"

He was about to answer when he realized something just wasn't right. _I'm missin' somet'ing._ Remembering what he was missing, he turned back to Ororo. "Where's de kid?"

She took a quick glance around the room before she remembered that she had yet to retrieve him. "He's still with Jube cleaning up the cards."

"Didn't I tell ya t' get him away from her!" he yelled, giving her the impression that he would strike her.

Ororo again went to the other room in search of the boy.

Remembering that he had been asked a question, Remy turned to Guido and Sunspot and answered, "I can't let ya know exactly what I'm up to. Storm's in charge 'til I get back," he informed them, noticing the strained expression on Guido's face.

Remy looked over their shoulder's as the boy appeared from the next room with Ororo directly behind him and Jubilee at his side.

"Hey, kid," he called out, "get over here."

The boy shook his head. "But my name is not _kid_," he pouted, his voice as high as a girl. Giving his temporary babysitter a big squeeze with his tiny arms, he said, "Bye, auntie Jubilee."

"Bye, sweetie." She hugged him tight not wanting to let him go.

Remy watched the interaction knowing that it wasn't a good scene and may lead to trouble down the line.

Jubilee gave the boy a gentle push into Remy's direction and surprisingly the boy followed the man through the passage way and into the darkness of the tunnels.

Jubilee turned to Ororo with her hands clasped together and a bright smile. "He's _so_ cute!" She said with a jump.

"I hope you took a good look at him. It's probably the last time you'll see him."

"What the fuck does that mean?" She asked not liking the tone of 'Ro's voice. "Storm…Storm?!"

But the woman had already walked away.

****

*moments later*

"Hurry up, kid."

The boy stopped walking as Remy turned back to face him. "My name is _not_ kid," he fumed, taking a stubborn stance. 

"It's not?" He asked humoring him.

He shook his head no. "It's Charlie…my name is Charlie," he replied proudly with a big smile.

It was obvious to Remy why Eric chose to name the boy what he did. "Charles, huh?" _Didn't I save Eric's life too? I guess it doesn't count 'cause I'm still alive an' Charles is dead._ On further thought, he concluded, _I don't even care anyway_. "So dey named ya, Charles?"

"After my father's very bestest friend in the whole wide world."

Remy started walking again as the child trailed a couple of steps behind him. "Is dat so?" 

"Yup!" 

As they approached the stolen SUV, Remy wondered, "An' where is de original Charles now?"

He lowered his head with perceived sadness. "He's gone away. Papa said he left long time ago and can't come back..." 

Remy couldn't resist messing with the boy. "Your pa didn't wanna tell ya but," leaning over he revealed in a whisper, "big Charles is _dead_."

"Dead?" He scrunched up his face, trying to understand the word. After giving it great thought, he asked, "Like mah fishes?"

"Yup," he answered with a firm nod, "exactly."

Thinking about it a little longer, he reasoned, "So mama had tah flush big Charles down the toilet too?

Before he could stop it, a grin managed to appear on his face. _De lil' bastard actually made-a-funny. _"Yup," he answered.

"No!" The child replied as he giggled full of joy. "Yah're fibbin'!" 

Seeing that the boy was still standing by the car far too entertained to get in it himself, Remy picked him up and placed him on the passenger seat.

Charlie turned his head curiously, looking all over the interior of the vehicle. "Where are we goin'? Back tah mama?"

"Nope," he answered simply as he shut the door.

"But Ah wanna see mama," the boy yelled as he watched the man walk over the other side and enter the car. "Ah wan' mah mama!" He yelled again now that the man was sitting beside him.

__

Shit! Dis is gonna be a hell of a long trip, he thought as he adjusted his rare view mirror.

Charlie pulled on the man's coat. "Where's mah mama?!"

Remy whipped off his glasses, showing the child his devilish red eyes for the first time. "Stop yar whinin'," he ordered, intent on scaring the young boy into submission.

Charlie looked up with wide eyes and burst into giggles. "Ah _know_ yah," he said holding his tummy with laughter, "red eyed man." 

Remy was taken back by the boy's response. _He mus' have seen me de moment I drugged him back at de X-Mansion._ Looking at the boy, he said with a shrug, "Not quite de reaction I was expectin', but it will have t' do."

Feeling more relaxed with the red eyed man, Charlie asked, "Yah're takin' meh back tah mama?"

Remy buckled the boy's seatbelt. "We're goin' on a li'l trip."

His mouth opened in shock. "Outside?"

"Uh-huh."

"An' Ah can see lots of buildings an' people walkin' around like on T.V?" He asked excitedly.

"Yup, jus' like on TV."

His animated demeanour soon disappeared once he remembered his mother's rules. "But Ah'm only allowed in the backyard, mama says."

"Now ya can go further."

"Yeah! Let's go!" He yelled happily, anxiously awaiting the adventure. He saw the man stick the key into the ignition and heard the rumble of the engine. "After we can go back home tah mama, raht?" 

Remy remained silent.

"Raht?"

The truck pulled out of the alleyway and onto the dark roads of the night.

****

*later on*

"De mission was a success."

The man sat on his throne seemingly very pleased with the information he had received. "Dey are all dead?"

The subordinate bowed his head and answered, "Every last one of 'em." 

"Beautiful." He rubbed his hands together knowing that all that he had planned was now coming to fruition. "And de nay-sayers said dat Thieves and Assassins could never work together."

The other man grinned proudly. "Now dat de Bandits are out of de way, who's next on de hit list?"

Jean-Luc smiled with anticipation. "I'll give ya t'ree guesses."

******

****

Author's Note: 

* In AOA, the Danger Room was known as the Killing Room. 

****

Next Time: Remy teaches Charlie the rules of the road and Betsy, Jean and Logan make an appearance.


	4. Ransom

**Stolen**

**Chapter 3**

**Ransom**

_**Dear, Rogue.**_

_**Yes, I have your son. No need to panic; this will all be over and done with as soon as possible-unless you mention it to anyone then I can't be held responsible for what happens.**_

_**You know the drill, I am a thief and the ransom is high for your son. If you pay, you get him back. If you don't pay, I'll have to go to the highest bidder.**_

_**So here's the deal: Within 48hours, I will get in contact with you and give you an offer…48hours.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Remy LeBeau**_

"That son of a bitch!" Clarice yelled after reading the letter to herself.

After Eric had informed the group that Charlie had been kidnaped by their ex-team mate, the letter was passed around so that everyone could read the information for themselves.

Clarice was the second to last of the X-Men to read the letter. She held the paper out to Victor, but he refused to take it, sneering at her instead.

Kurt sat dumbfounded in complete disbelief, having been recalled from his outdoor post moments before. "Remy has Charlie?"

Bobby was so angry he felt like punching something-anything. _I can't believe he had the gall to waltz in here and take Charlie. _"How the hell did Gambit get pass security?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kurt asked sarcastically, clutching his polished cane. He remembered the multiple times he had to sit with Remy while the thief instructed him on the many changes he had personally made to the defense system. "It's Gambit, _remember_?" _He knew ze entire security system inside and out-he just about built ze damn thing._

"But we switched everything up the moment we knew he left us and wasn't coming back," Bobby protested.

"Like I said, 'it's Gambit, remember'?" The blue man reiterated as he hung his head low in deep thought. "Ze only reason ve had him join the team vas because he's ze best at vhat he does. Better to have him on our side then ze _other_ side." _But it's more than that. Remy vas a great leader, someone that I have trusted my life vith and more importantly, he vas a friend. _Talking more so to himself than to the team, he whispered, "Just can't believe he vould double cross us."

Clarice had been rereading the letter trying to find any hidden clues, but continued to come up empty-handed. She tossed the paper aside in frustration. "But why _now_? After all this time, why bother screw us over _now_?"

"And why take Charlie?" Pietro asked no one in particular. "Gambit doesn't need to kidnap Charlie for ransom. His Guild has more money than God _and_ he's supposedly the prince."

"I can give ya the reason he snatched the kid," Victory cut in, drawing all the questioning to a halt. "And the reason is standin' right ova there," he said pointing a condemning finger in Rogue's direction.

She looked at him in fury, her tear-filled eyes having long ago dried up, though they remained red. "What are yah sayin'?"

He answered her in the cocky tone of someone who knew more than he was letting on, "I'm sayin' that we don't have t' worry. Gambit won't do nothin' t' the kid."

"Yah don't _know_ that."

"I know more than ya know," he said mysteriously, then turned to walk away.

She was not going to let him leave as if their conversation was over. "What?" She asked, turning him around and getting in his face. "What do yah know?"

Something about her face being flushed with rage caused a stirring of sorts deep within him. She stared him straight in the eyes as if she were challenging him and if he hadn't been somewhat tamed, he would have taken up her challenge. He looked over her head to his leader as if to get some direction.

Rogue found his reaction very telling. _Eric knows somethin'. _"What is he talkin' about Eric?" She demanded, still facing Victor.

"Isn't it obvious, Rogue? This _can't_ be about money." Clarice again had the letter in her hand. "Gambit loves you too much to let anything bad happen to Charlie."

"Exactly," Victor agreed confidently. "The bastard is jus' doin' this t' get your attention."

Kurt scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess that does make sense." _But I do admit that I'd believe anything in vhich Remy is portrayed in a somewhat positive light. Remy acting out of love is better than him acting out of greed._

Bobby was willing to admit the obvious. "True, Remy was always crazy about you-even though he would never openly admit it. And he _doesn't_ need the cash."

"But ya'll don't understand," she stated to anyone that would listen. "Ah _saw_, Gambit; Ah _talked_ tah him. There was no love there." The more she dwelled on her encounter with him, the more it troubled her. "He was different somehow."

"Different?" Victor scoffed at her vague analysis. "So Gambit _didn't_ try and come on t' ya."

She avoided his gaze, not wanting to give him the impression that there was truth in his sarcasm.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said with a smug smile. "He's still the same guy that's been obsessed with ya all these years…"

"All these years?" _Didn't he jus' tell meh that he knows more tah what's goin' on?_ She wasn't about to let that comment slide. "What more do yah know, Creed?"

He refused to give her an answer until he was ordered to do so. The order would have come from Eric; however, his leader remained silent.

She grabbed him by his clothes, pulling him towards her. "Tell meh damn it!"

"Take it easy," he told her, stretching out the wrinkles she had caused in his uniform. "No need t' get hysterical."

"Mah son is missin'! Don't yah dare patronize meh."

"Wouldn't even dream of it, _sweetheart,_" he smirked, intentionally trying to get a rise out of her.

Eric kept a close eye on their interaction, deciding when would be the appropriate time to intervene. Observing his wife curling her fingers into a fist, he wisely ordered, "Back down, Sabertooth."

The man-beast did not have to be told anything twice by his leader. He obediently backed away from her.

Eric approached Rogue ready to reveal to the team something that had been kept under wraps. "Years ago, several days after Gambit left the team, I had Sabertooth secretly keep tabs on him."

Victor puffed his chest out proudly as the team turned to his direction in surprise and intrigue.

"Why secretly?" Clarice asked, always the one with a suspicious mind.

"It was just a side project. I wanted to be sure that Gambit wouldn't turn against us. He left the team so suddenly I wasn't sure what he would do with all of our sensitive information."

Kurt listened intensely. _I haven't seen nor heard from Remy in so many years. _"So vhat did you find?"

Having exchanged glances with Eric, Victor continued on with the story considering he was the one who had first hand accounts. "Remy kept low for a while. Within time he gathered some new recruits, spies, enemies…and still he managed t' find time t' stalk Rogue."

"What?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _He was stalkin' meh? _

There was a point long ago when she first learnt of her pregnancy that Eric ordered her to stay at the mansion while the team would carry out dangerous missions.

_Ah would argue with Eric that he was overreactin', but deep down Ah knew that he was only tryin' tah protect meh-tah protect his son._ However, during that time she would spend her days alone in an empty house. _Ah would go stir crazy with absolutely nothin' tah do and by then Ah was only two months pregnant. Within time Ah decided tah end mah boredom by leavin' the mansion without informin' anyone. _

At first she would just walk around the town outside the estate, but within time she graduated into taking public transportation to New York City. Now that it was revealed Remy had been following her, she felt violated for a reason that was hard for her to explain.

"Remember when ya were pregnant and the team was away on missions?" Victor asked as he hovered over her. He wanted to let the entire team know what she had been up to. "Magneto was under the impression that ya were locked away at home and instead ya were out cruisin' the streets of Manhattan."

She turned to her husband. "Yah knew Ah was leavin' the mansion?"

Eric chose not to respond to her question.

Bobby found the story compelling and temporarily forgot about the missing child. "What was Gambit doing stalking Rogue?"

"He'd watch her at a distance-follow her every move." Turning to Rogue, he continued on, "He'd follow ya for hours tryin' t' build up enough confidence t' approach ya, but never did."

"Weird," Pietro mumbled, scrunching his eyebrows.

"And ya should have seen his reaction the day he first realized ya were pregnant. The minute he saw your protrudin' belly…I could actually see his heart breakin'," he said matter-of-factly.

_Now he's goin' overboard. _She rolled her eyes. "Cut all the dramatics."

"But it's true," he insisted. "At that moment, I swear, I thought he was gonna kill ya."

"Oh really?" She asked sarcastically as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, really," he stated seriously. "Ya were out really late one evenin' walkin' the streets as if ya were invincible 'cause ya were a mutant. Gambit was stashed in the darkness with a glowin' card in his hand waitin' t' slit your throat."

"Then why didn't he kill meh?"

Kurt knew the answer all to well. "Because he vas too veak," he said, barely above a whisper. "Because he vas in love."

His words sent a chill down her spine, so sharply she was sure everyone noticed.

"Fuck weakness and fuck love," Victor said in response to Kurt's assessment. "That annoyin' lil' kid was beginnin' t' grow on me and I wan' him back."

"That shouldn't be a problem as long as we got the cash," Morph said as he dug his hand deep into his pant pocket. "I'm good for a 50, how much do you guys have?" He wanted to get a laugh out of the group, but instead got the look of irritation.

"Enough talk!" Eric interrupted, his head already racing with ideas. "We need to figure out our plan of action." With a stern look, he added, "Gambit has put Charlie in grave danger. If any of our enemies realize that my son is not at our protected hidden base…"

"All hell will break loose," Morph concluded Eric's sentence.

They all stood in silence and listened as their leader assigned them each a duty in regards to finding Charlie.

**(meanwhile)**

She had finally made it. Having flown on a commercial airplane to JFK airport she had been sitting at the terminal for two hours waiting for a prearranged driver to pick her up. Once she realized that being chauffeured in a luxury car was not likely to happen, she sprung for a common yellow taxi cab to drive her all the way to Westchester-which she had to pay out of her own pocket.

She stood in front of the mansion, gathering her thoughts together. _Should I burst into the Institute and cause hell for not being picked up at the airport as promised, or should I just let it slide. _She couldn't make up her mind either way. _Magneto better have a damn good excuse for standing me up._

Having a good memory, she managed to find her way through the main lobby to the hidden elevator that took her to the secret basement.

She stood outside the control room and took a deep breath. The day hadn't starting out the way she had hoped, but she was optimistic that it would improve. Placing the palm of her hand on the identification screen, the sliding doors magically opened to a room that contained the X-Men.

She entered the room, stopping in the center as a bustle of people passed her in every which-way. She stood her ground a moment, trying to get a sense of what the urgency was all about. Catching little bits of conversations here and there she began piecing together what might have occurred. Still her first objective was to make herself known.

"Hello, my name is…" she started to say to a young looking man with white hair; however, he did not stop to chat.

"Could I please speak to…" she said to a blue devil looking creature that had a noticeable limp, but he continued to hobble by.

She next noticed a purple female with elf ears pass her. "Excuse me…" Again, she was ignored.

Victor had been discreetly watching the new recruit chuckling to himself.

She noticed the tall muscular man's amused expression. Considering he was the first and only person to pay her any mind since she arrived, she approached him. "It seems as if I've come at the wrong time," she observed with a strong British accent.

"Seems so," he agreed showing no sympathy.

"My name is Elizabeth Braddock." She stood tall displaying a natural sense of confidence to an otherwise menacing looking man. With an extended hand, she added, "I'm the new member of the team."

"I know." He saw her hand, but made no attempt to shake it. "Ya're the telepath."

Her hand fell back down to her side. "I'm really more of a _telekinetic_. I'm also a surgical doctor, assigned to be in the emergency room." Focusing back on the frantic people in the room, she noted, "I take it that Magneto's missing a child."

"Ya're a sharp one, aren't ya?"

"Can't say that I'm disappointed." Her response was too quick and harsh sounding, causing Victor's eyes to widen slightly. "I never did like children--that was one of the things which made me hesitate accepting this job." Dusting her hands together, she added, "Problem solved."

"That's pretty heartless, lady."

She raised a brow and smiled. "This coming from a blood thirsty killer? I read your file," she said with a wink, "then again, I guess _you_ should know what you're talking about."

His eyes slipped down to better see the fullness of her chest. "I guess so."

"Anyway, it's not about being heartless; it's about being realistic." Waving one hand in the air, she concluded, "In an atmosphere like this children only get in the way…"

"Or get _taken_ away."

She loved the fact that they both seemed to be on the same page of thought. "Exactly."

**(meanwhile)**

Eric stood outside his closed bedroom door. It had been a while before he realized that Rogue was missing from the control room. It hadn't surprised him that she left, probably out of resentment, he figured. He had assigned each of the X-Men to a specific duty and had deliberately left her out of the process. _Rogue is not in the right frame of mind to contribute constructively to the group yet. _

The doors opened and he found his wife on their bed with her back toward him. The pain he was going through was hard for him to even describe, yet he knew that she felt the same way and there was nothing he could do to remove her pain. And still under all that hurt laid a strong dose of anger and betrayal.

_How could she not confide in me the instant she realized that our son was kidnaped? _He remembered Remy had told her that everything would work out if she didn't tell anyone that Charlie was missing. _That note, that damned note Gambit left her proved at least on thing--Rogue trusted the thief's promise to her more than she trusted my ability to help her._

Even though she couldn't see who was behind her, she knew it was Eric. "Why didn't yah tell meh that Remy was followin' meh all those years ago?" She whispered softly as she clutched the baby blue blanket against her cheek.

"What would you have done if you had known?"

_Ah probably would have wanted tah talk tah Remy_, she thought, but decided to keep it to her self. "Yah didn't answer mah question."

"Only because you already know the answer."

She abruptly looked up at him in silence, then was the first to look away, her mind still concerned with her child. "He mus' be so scared."

Sitting down at the edge of the bed, he placed his arm around her knowing that what she needed desperately was to be comforted--to be touched. "Don't you dare think such a thing."

"But it's true," she cried, though no tears fell. "He's _never_ been away from home before. Ah'm always the one tah tuck him in at night."

"Our son is a strong boy. I recognized his strength the first time he was put into my arms. Strength like that never disappears--it only grows stronger." He managed a strained smile, trying to give her a sense of hope. "Soon enough he'll be back home where he belongs," he reassured her.

Rogue wanted to believe him--everything in her wanted to trust his every word.

As if he could feel her desperation, he added, "I _promise_ you."

She brought the blanket back up to her nose, taking in her son's unique sent. The smell was becoming fainter by the hour and soon, she mused, the smell would disappear all together. Her thoughts couldn't help but stay directly with her son and thinking all that he must be going through.

"He mus' be so scared," she repeated.

Eric held her close in his arms, wondering if she had even heard his promise.

**(on the road)**

Charlie's face was glued to the tainted window of the SUV feeling more excited than he had ever been in his short life. He was _outside--_not in the backyard--but _outside_. He was staring with amazement at buildings he had never before seen and people that looked nothing like his family at home. Charlie would have certainly believed that he and the X-Men were the only people in the world if his mom never taught him otherwise; however this was different, now he was able to see what he had heard so much about.

His brain was getting jammed with so much imagery; it was becoming harder for his mind to process everything at once. He had so many questions, but did not know how to ask them. Charlie closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to block everything out for a moment so that he could get a clear thought.

The car made a sudden swerve, jolting Charlie back to reality.

"What a fuckin' asshole!" Remy yelled as he gave the man in the other vehicle the middle finger as he sped in front of the car.

"Uh oh!" Charlie responded wide-eyed as he covered his open mouth. "Yah said a bad word."

Remy took a quick glance at the boy with a half smile. "Better get use t' it, kid."

"Ah _am_ use t' it," he answered finally able to shift his attention from the outside distractions to Remy's profile. "Uncle Victah says bad words all the time and mamah gets mad at him." The boy then sighed heavily and added, "And mah name is _Charlie_."

Remy took his eyes off the road to give him a quizzical look. He then nodded his head realizing that he had called the youngster 'kid' again for the umpteenth time. _He **really** hates t' be called kid._

The boy was trying hard to relay into words all that he had seen. "There's so much stuff, Red Eyes."

_He's been callin' me dat name a lot. _"First off, stop callin' me Red Eyes. It'll draw too much attention t' us in public and dat's de one t'ing we don't want. People don't take well t' mutants around most parts."

"What's yah're name?"

"Gambit."

Charlie smiled brightly. "Uncle Gambit!"

He shook his head adamantly as he readjusted his rearview mirror. "Nope, jus' Gambit."

"But mamah says Ah have tah call big people uncle or auntie or…"

"Ya know what? Dat's not a bad idea." _People will jus' assume he's my nephew. _"Yeah, call me uncle."

Charlie nodded his head in agreement as he again pressed his face against the window, moving his head left to right repeatedly as if he were watching a tennis match. His head stopped suddenly, finding something of interest to really focus on.

"Uncle, what's that?" Charlie asked pressing his finger to the window, pointing at something on the street.

"What?"

The car had already driven by, but the boy still wanted to know what he had just witnessed. "A man sleepin' on the street." Just as he finished speaking, he saw another man doing the same thing. "There's another one!" Charlie yelled excitedly as the car stopped for a red light. "Why is he doin' that?"

"He's a bum," he answered simply.

Charlie started to giggle, a sound that Remy long ago realized that he would be hearing a lot. "He's not a _bum,_" he laughed, taking the thief's words literally.

Remy rolled his eyes underneath his shades. "Dat man doesn't have a home; he lives on de street."

The boy looked back out the window to the man with childlike confusion. "But where's his mamah? Why can't he jus' go home tah his mamah?"

"We can't all go home, kid." Remy stepped on the gas, driving through the green light. "Dis is de _real_ world."

Charlie did not protest his nickname still trying to understand how a person could just not go home to his mother. As he tried to understand what he had been taught, another person came into his view. "What's that?"

"What?" Remy asked, looking in the direction of where Charlie was pointing.

"Why is that lady dressed like that, uncle?"

Remy wiggled his eyes brows with delight, taking a long look at the scantly clad woman who seemed to be walking home in the early morning after a long night of work. "She's dressed like dat 'cause she's a whore."

"What's that?"

"A whore is a woman who, for a small fee, gives a man a good time--God bless 'em."

_A good time?_ "Hmmm, that's what uncle Victah needs–he's always growlin' all the time." Looking at Remy with puppy-dog eyes, he asked, "Can we get her for him?"

He chuckled, remembering how much of a lunatic Victor was when they first met. "Knowin' Creed, he's probably already had her."

"Look over there!" Charlie yelled, already on to the next interesting thing.

"What now?"

"That man in tight clothes," he answered. The image was very familiar to him. "Is he a superhero like papah?"

Remy gave a quick look over to the tall muscular man in a pink spandex outfit. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Nah, dat guy is jus' gay," smirking he added, "but I can see how ya'd be confused."

"Gay?"

Remy paid the boy no mind, alerted to a problem with the car. A red flashing light appeared on the dashboard. "Great, jus' great!" He yelled sarcastically as he slammed his hand against the stirring wheel.

"Huh?"

"Take note, kid," he said, cutting off the other drivers as he passed two lanes into the nearest shopping center entrance he could find. "Before ya steal a car, make sure it has enough motor oil in it."

He was too mad to heed Remy's advice, again reminding the man, "Mah name is _Charlie_."

**(later on)**

Rogue remained as she was, sitting in her chair, silently praying for the safe return of her son. Her husband had long ago left her, returning to the control room to be updated on any new findings.

The doors to her room opened suddenly, taking her away from her thoughts.

Eric barged into the room with Morph remaining at the door. "We're about to take off."

Rogue hurriedly eased out of her chair, dropping the blanket to the floor. "Where are we goin'?"

"_You_ aren't going anywhere," he corrected, gently guiding her back down on her seat. "Creed and I are going down to Angel's Night Club to get some answers."

"Ah'm goin' with yah," she responded stubbornly. _No way am Ah gonna sit back and do nothin' while mah son is in danger._

He suspected that she would insist on going with him. He had always loved her fearless attitude, although he hated that at times it could not be controlled. "No, you're going to stay here."

"Eric, don't do this tah meh, not now," she pleaded, trying desperately to hold back tears in order convince him that she was in control of her emotions. "_Mah_ son is out there on his own and there is _no_ way Ah'm jus' gonna tah sit here and do nothin'."

He gritted his teeth, resenting her choice of words. "_Our_ son is not on his own." _Does she not know I would do everything in my power to get him back?_ "One thing we can be sure about is that Gambit won't let anything happen to Charlie."

"Right," Morph interrupted, leaning into the room, " 'Cause Charlie can't be used as leverage if he's dead."

Eric glared at the shape shifter in anger. "I'm having a private conversation with my _wife_."

Morph backed away slowly realizing that it was the wrong time for his warped sense of humor.

Knowing how to handle Rogue was one of his specialties and so he said, "You need to stay here just in case Gambit does try and contact us."

Rogue knew her husband was trying to outsmart her and was insulted by his approach. She looked him square in the eye as if she were challenging him to a fight. "Then _yah_ stay and _Ah'll_ go with Creed."

He stood tall, changing his loving husband tone of voice to that of the leader of the X-Men in charge of his subordinates, "I'm leaving now." Turning his back to her as if to end all arguments, he said, "I'll be back soon."

There was nothing left that she could say to convince him otherwise; instead, she whispered, "Be safe." It was something that they would say to each other before they went on any mission--this was the first time that he did not acknowledge her.

Eric entered the control room going over some last minute information on the computer before he left for the night club.

Pietro witnessed his father peering over Kurt's shoulder at the computer screen and saw his opportunity to approach him. Standing beside Eric, he offered, "I was thinking, father, maybe it'll be best that I go with you to the club."

Eric listened to his son though his eyes remained on the screen.

"I _saw_ Remy with Warren so there's _no_ way he can bullshit with me standing in front of him."

"Creed and I will be sufficient," he responded simply as Pietro's slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Besides, I have something more important for you to do."

_More important? _His face brightened with pride. "Yes, sir."

"Keep an eye on Rogue while I'm gone."

_Shit! _"Yes, sir," he answered, covering the fact that he was extremely disappointed. "By the way, I noticed an attractive bartender at Angel's club that happened to be wearing a necklace that looked an awful lot like the one you gave your wife for your anniversary."

He nodded his head in response. _Looks like Remy stole more than my son last night. _Eric turned around and walked steadily toward the door, leading to the X-Vehicles. "Creed," he called his enforcer.

Victor walked in step with his leader, a bit behind him. "So how we gonna do this?"

"My son is missing, Creed." Eric put on his helmet. "How do you think we are going to do this?"

An evil smirk appeared on his face as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation of what laid ahead. "Fast an' hard, baby, fast and hard."

**(in the mall)**

Charlie was speechless as he stood inside the city mall with wide eyes. He had never been in a place filled with so many eye catching things. Crowds of people were walking every which way; loud music was playing in the background and lights flashing everywhere trying to catch everyone's attention at once.

Charlie grabbed Remy's hand more out of shock than anything else. Remy was about to protest, but then realized that most of the other children were holding their parent's hand. _I might as well hang onto dis kid like a good parent so dat I don't stand out._

Remy looked down at him and asked, "Now do ya remember what I told ya in de parkin' lot?"

He hesitated before answering, "Yes, uncle."

Remy remained skeptical. "Den what did I say?"

Charlie thought for a moment, remembering that he was told something too complicated for his mind to grasp. "Yah said that we are gonna get juice for the car 'cause it's thirsty."

_Dat's not exactly what I said, but oh well_. "Right. We are jus' gonna get de motor oil and den we are out." He looked the boy over, making sure the baseball cap he gave him to wear was securely on his head, covering his identifiable white hair.

Charlie nodded his head, less concerned with what Remy was saying and more interested in all the people that they were passing by.

Charlie zeroed in on a man that was approaching. He seemed to be in quite a hurry, looking all around as if he were searching for someone. "Hello!" Charlie greeted him with a cherry smile.

The man looked down at the boy and smiled as he rushed by him.

He was beaming with pride having received a reaction from the hurried man. Next he focused in on a group of young teens that were laughing amongst themselves. "Hello!" Charlie shouted as he passed them.

One of the teens gave him a thumbs' up sign, while another patted his head as he walked by.

"What's up, cutie?" The lone teen girl in the group said to him with a wink.

Charlie waved to them as Remy pulled him along, cringing with discomfort.

Charlie spotted an older woman walking in his direction with shopping bags in both hands. "Hello!" He said cheerily to her when she came close enough to hear.

"Well, good morning," she replied ready to gush over him.

He felt Remy tug him along as he started to say multiple hellos' to everyone that passed by him.

Finding the store he was looking for, Remy zipped in, heading straight toward the auto section. He browsed through the different items, looking for the motor oil he needed.

"Hello," Charlie said to a woman that had passed by the aisle.

Remy gave an uneasy smile until the woman passed by his section. Bending down to Charlie he asked with little patience, "What're ya doin'?"

"Ah'm bein' polite," he answered brightly and looking so adorable. "Mamah says Ah should be polite, like 'thank yah' and 'yah're welcome' and 'excuse meh' and…"

Placing his hand over Charlie's mouth, he said, "Yeah, well, shut up." He then stood back up, continuing his search.

Charlie pouted as he furrowed his eye brows. "That's not polite, uncle." He began to run his finger over all the items that were within his reach. "Yah have tah say, 'be quiet, please'," he corrected. "Uncle Victah has no manners, mamah says, and Ah'm not suppose tah do what he…"

"I said, _shut_ _up_," he repeated, becoming annoyed every time the boy opened his mouth.

_Ah Ha! _Remy thought as he grabbed the motor oil he was looking for. "Dis is de one we need." Instinctively he began to tuck the bottle into his trench coat, before realizing that Charlie was watching his every move. _Dis fuckin' kid will sing like a canary if I try t' walk out of here wit' dis t'ing. _Remy cursed underneath his breath with the thought that he would have to actually pay for the motor oil._ I'm already low on funds as it is._

The thief pulled Charlie by the arm to the cash register as a 30 something female lined up behind them.

Charlie caught the woman's eye and couldn't help but respond to her bright smile. "Hello!"

The dark haired woman bent over him and stuck out her hand. "Well, hello young man."

Remy watched the unfolding scene with caution.

"Is that all today, sir?"

"Huh?" He turned around to see that the cashier had just swiped his purchase and was talking to him. "Yes, dat's all."

"What's your name?" Charlie asked shaking the lady's hand.

She pinched the boy's rosy cheeks. "My name is Lisa."

The cashier totaled the purchase. "That'll be $10. 35."

Remy fiddled around in his wallet and took out the cash temporarily taking his eye off the boy.

Charlie smiled. "Hi, Lisa."

"And what's your name, little boy?" Lisa wanted to know.

"My name is…"

_Shit!_ Remy interrupted the woman, "Now what have I told ya 'bout talkin' t' strangers?" He took a wild guess, being an overprotective mother, Rogue would have warned Charlie on such things.

Charlie stopped talking and did the action of zipping his mouth closed, locking it and throwing away the key.

He looked apologetically at the other woman. "I've been startin' t' teach de boy not t' talk t' strangers, no offence."

"Oh, none taken," she replied showing no hard feelings. "That's a good lesson to learn, especially with all the kidnaping happening lately."

"Have a good day," he said as he departed and rushed out of the store, looking for the nearest exit out of the mall. As he pulled the boy along, he asked, "Didn't your ma teach ya not t' talk t' strangers?"

The boy giggled carelessly. "Yes, but Ah forgot. There are no strangers in mah house."

_It slipped my mind dat de kid has never left his house before._ "I don't wan' ya talkin' t' anyone else.

Charlie did not hear Remy's words, his attention already consumed by a snack stand in the middle of the mall filled with pictures of different flavors of ice cream and happy music playing loudly.

A fat man with a bushy mustache stood inside the ice cream stand and locked eyes with Charlie, predicting that he could make an easy sale. "What flavor ice cream do you want little boy?"

"We're not interested," Remy mumbled looking around for the right way to the parking lot.

"Chocolate!" Charlie answered as he jumped for joy.

The ice cream man had the cone in his hand and began to dig into the bucket of ice cream. "How many scoops do you want?"

Remy looked back at the man. "I said we're not inter…"

"10!" Charlie answered holding up all his fingers.

The man laughed shaking his head with doubt. "Are you sure _that_ much ice cream can fit in your little belly?"

"Yes!" He answered laughing, lifting up his shirt and putting his hand on his stomach. "Ah _love_ ice cream!"

"Ya already ate a sandwich in de car an hour ago. It's not time for any ice cream," he told the boy.

"But Ah wan' it," Charlie wined.

Remy grabbed his arm, figuring out the right direction to where the car was parked. "Let's go."

"No!" He yanked his arm away from Remy's tight grasped. "Ah wan' it!"

People were starting to slow down watching the drama that was taking place in the middle of the ice cream stand.

"We are leavin' _now_."

"No!"

"I ain't got time for dis shit," he declared in a loud whisper. "Get your lil' ass over here now!" He yelled, pointing directly in front of him. Remy noticed an older lady watching him with outrage, but he didn't seem to care.

He crossed his arms and stared at the bigger man without fair. "Ah-wan'-ice-cream!" He demanded defiantly.

"Ya're _not_ gettin' it."

"Yes, Ah _am_! Without another word, Charlie threw himself on the ground kicking and screaming drawing the attention of everyone in that area of the mall. "Ah wan' it, Ah wan' it, Ah wan' it, Ah wan' it…"

**(Angel's Night Club)**

The X-Men had an open relationship with Warren, knowing that he was a good contact to keep close by because he was usually in the know. Warren's nightclub had to be kept on the hush-hush, being the only club that openly allowed mutants and humans to mix together. If the government knew of its existence it would be shut down without a question, yet it had managed to stay open for years.

Eric and Victor exited the elevator on the top floor of the building that housed Angel's Night Club. The X-Men walked the long hallway and turned a corner meeting up with two guards that seemed to be waiting for them.

"We know you're the X-Men," one of the men said. He had been alerted to them after they were picked up on the many house cameras.

Eric noticed that their hands were not on their weapons which meant that they were not expecting any trouble.

"Warren is taking a very important conference call," the other man added. He had been trained to be extra cautious when the X-Men were around, especially when they arrived dressed in their uniforms.

Eric and Victor were aware that they were being monitored as they entered the building, having spotted the moving cameras following their every move.

"He's going to have to reschedule." Eric said in passing.

Instantly the two guards stood in front on the massive doors, blocking entry. "He is not taking any visitors at the moment."

"Get outta my way, asswipe," Victor said brushing the two men away with incredible force as he kicked open the doors.

One guard immediately got to his communicator. "Security!"

The two men barged into the room after the two X-Men.

Warren was sitting in his comfy chair with his back turned toward the door. Hearing all the commotion, he turned around in his chair with the phone still to his ear. "What's going on…"

Victor had Warren in his sights, but turned around just in time to see five armed men scatter into the room with their guns drawn. Victor charged toward one of the men fearlessly. Without warning the guard pulled the trigger sending a bullet right between Victor's eyes.

He stopped stunned by the aching pain in the center of his head. Blood began to flow down his face. "The fucker actually shot me!" He stated the obvious in disbelief. Immediately he could feel his healing factor kick in, forcing the bullet out of his head and masking his wound with new skin tissue.

The guards watch the seemingly magical healing process with great wonder and were completely caught off guard when Victor grabbed two men and threw them hard against the wall. The remaining guards began to shoot their guns and were instantly hit in the leg and shoulders by their own bullets.

Eric had been the controller of those rogue bullets and placed his hand back down at his side as more guards came storming in.

Victor hoped over the desk and grabbed Warren by his shirt and sneered into his face. "Call 'em off!" He ordered.

Warren's mind was racing with what to do. His relationship with the X-Men had always been cordial, at the very least, so he didn't know what to make of their violent entrance.

"Call em' off!" Victor yelled again, pulling the winged-man closer to him.

"Stand down, stand down!" Warren responded with a shaky voice.

The guards lowered their weapons in obedience of their boss, but remained as they were.

Victor could see the guards in his peripheral view though his eyes stayed connected to Warren. Still clutching the millionaires clothing, he ordered, "Now tell your boys t' leave ya alone-ya're in good hands."

"Leave me alone," his voice quivered, fearful of the man-beast that stood tall over him. "I'm in good hands," he lied, repeating what he was told to say.

The armed men backed out of the office and shut the doors, though they remained outside in the hallway.

Victor delighted in the other man's fear. "That's a good boy." He patted Warren's head roughly as if he were an animal. With his other hand he swiftly plunged his long razor sharp nails into Warren's side and dragged it down his body, trailed by four lines of blood.

"Argh!" he grunted in enormous pain. He would have doubled over if it weren't for Victor's strong grasp on him. Warren was freaking out. _He's gonna kill me; he's gonna fuckin' kill me!_

Eric watched the mutilation from across the room, feeling no need to stop Victor's actions. "Are you finished Sabertooth?" He asked calmly.

"Naw," he answered staring hypnotically at his bloody hand. He hungrily plunged his fingers into his mouth, sucking the blood down his throat. When his hand was clean, he noted to his capture, "I've always been a fan of the blue blood."

Eric couldn't resist in asking, "How does it taste?"

He looked toward his leader with a wide smile that displayed his blood stained teeth. "Very rich."

_So cliché, _he mused to himself, shaking his head. Eric pulled up a chair to them and sat with the chair turned backwards. "Are you ready to talk, Angel?"

"I don't know anything--I swear to _God_."

Victor slapped his face, instantly leaving a large red hand print. "Be careful--I jus' may send ya straight t' Him."

Eric remained collected and told him in a controlled voice, "Tell us what Gambit is up to."

_Fuck! I should have known that fucker had to be behind this shit._ "I don't know what you're talking about."

Victor shook his head, mocking a sense of remorse. "Wrong answer." He grabbed a chuck of long blond hair and yanked it, pulling out the roots.

Warren winced in pain as he watched with horror as Victor casually blew the remains of his hair in the air.

"Gambit would _never_ tell me his plans," he blabbed, trying to convince Eric that he was indeed speaking the truth. "He's always asking the questions and not giving much up."

"Ya lyin' shit!" Victor began to pound Warren with his fist repeatedly in the same general area where he put four small holes into the wing-man's side.

Eric was in deep thought, going over everything he knew about Remy and his battle tactics. _Warren's not lying_, he concluded. _Gambit would never tell an outsider that he had my son--that'll only cause others to try and steal Charlie away from him_.

"Hold it." Eric stood up, ready to physically remove Victor if he had disobeyed his orders.

Victor removed his fist from the man's ribs, aching to make contact again.

"Gambit has crossed me in a way that has made me oblivious to your pain," Eric said looking at the battered man not willing to allow himself to empathize. "So you tell me _everything_ you know about the thief and you may just walk out of here alive…"

"But with a lot less hair," Victor added with a chuckle as he twirled the man's hair tightly around his finger.

His knees buckled with fright. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Naw, not everythin'," Victor interrupted exchanging glances with Eric. "Jus' the stuff that happened a year ago, more or less."

Eric nodded his head in agreement, following what Victor was doing. _It's been about a year since they lost track of Remy. That's the stuff we really need to know._

**(Xavier's Institute)**

Pietro stood outside of his father's bedroom door. He would have rather been doing anything else at that moment, instead he choose to obey his father's wishes.

The doors slid open as he passed through them. He spotted a defeated looking Rogue sitting on one of the chairs next to the sliding glass doors that lead to the balcony.

She didn't acknowledge his presence, still gazing up to the afternoon sky.

"How are ya holding up?"

Rogue faced him with a sad smile. "Not very well."

Pietro was taken aback by her response. He hadn't expected her to be so honest. "Me either."

The look on his face--_she_ felt the urge to comfort _him_ even though she assumed that Pietro was ordered to console her. "Yah're such a great older brother tah him." She gave his hand a little squeeze.

Her words made him feel guilty, bringing back the way he acted when he first learned that she was pregnant. "Better late than never, right?"

"That's all in the past."

"It was all about jealousy," he admitted truthfully. "I didn't need anybody else to compete with for my father's attention." With a distant smile, he added, "But Charlie is so infectious, how could I possibly fault someone so innocent, so loving."

Rogue let him speak his mind, knowing that he needed to finally let go of all the emotions he had been feeling. "Yah know, he was askin' for yah every single day yah were away on vacation. He's not use tah yah being gone for so long--which reminds meh…"

Before he could say anything she was up and out the room, returning to him within less than a minute with something in her hand.

"He made this tah give tah yah on your return," she said as she handed him a folded piece of paper. "He worked really hard on it."

Looking surprised, he opened the folded paper. What he saw before him was a picture filled with multiple shades of markers composed of scribbles. "It's so-so-ugly," he finally let out for lack of a better word.

"Ah know!" Rogue agreed laughing.

Taking a better look at the picture, he asked. "What's it suppose to be?"

"This thing right here," she said, pointing to one of the scribbles, "is suppose tah be yah."

"You mean this long stick with an enormous circle on top of it, which I'm assuming is my big head."

"Uh-huh. And yah see that right here?" she waited for him to nod. "Yah're smilin'."

_I guess that looks like a smile, _he reasoned. "But what are all the zigzag lines going all over the paper?"

"Duh!" she exclaimed, slapping him playfully on the knee. "It's yah runnin'."

He smacked his forehead in good humor. "Of course!" He chuckled as he noticed something else. "I think Charlie wrote something on the back."

_What? Ah didn't notice that. _"He mus' have asked someone else tah help him with the spellin'."

The letters were a little hard to read, but he could make out the words. "I love you." He felt like the wind was knocked out of him. "Fuck."

Rogue wiped a lone tear from her cheek. "How could Remy do such a thing tah meh?"

Gently, he rubbed her shoulders, trying to soften the aching he knew she was feeling. "How could he do such a thing to _all_ of us?"

"Yah guys said that Remy did this because he _loves_ meh." She shook her head adamantly. "But that can't be true--this can't be love. He did this because he _hates_ meh."

He placed both hands on either side of her face, blocked from her flesh by her long hair. He didn't want her thinking such thoughts. "No, I mean, how could he ever _hate_ you?" He lowered his eyes, too ashamed to look at her. "He did this because he hates Eric."

"And what about meh? Where the fuck does that leave meh?!" she screamed with heartache, brushing his hands from her. Her heart was racing as she breathed in and out trying to calm herself down.

In a whisper, she explained, "Remy did the wrong thing, Pietro. He went about his hatred for Eric the wrong way." Curling her gloved hands into a fist, she clenched her teeth. "Ah could kill him. Ah could honestly kill him for the danger he has put Charlie in."

In that moment he felt that they were both in synch. "If not you, than me."

**(in the parking lot)**

"Hmmm, hmmm, Ah _love_ chocolate ice cream!"

It took a lot of restraint to prevent Remy from grabbing the cone from the boy and plopping it on his head. He sat in the parking lot of the mall with his head against the stirring wheel, able to hear Charlie lapping up his ice cream.

Replaying the unrelenting attitude of the boy in his mind, he reasoned, _De lil' fucker is exactly like his mother. _With a controlled voice, barely above a whisper he asked, "What de fuck did ya jus' pull in dere?"

Charlie continued to lick his ice cream cone. "Ah love chocolate. It's the bestest!"

Wiping the dirt off his hands from putting the oil in the engine, he said, "Ya're lucky I'm tryna be undercover, otherwise, fuck dat ol' lade, I would have spanked ya right den and dere."

Charlie stopped licking his cone long enough to give Remy a stupefied expression. "Spank meh?"

He paused a moment. "Your ma _does_ hit ya when ya're bad, doesn't she?"

The boy clutched his stomach and giggled like he heard the funniest thing in the world. "Ah'm not bad. Mamah doesn't hit meh."

Remy nodded his head, understanding the child's outburst for the first time. "Back in my day, I would have never dared t'row a temper tantrum like dat wit' Jean Luc. Hell, I'd get spanked for even lookin' at him de wrong way." Pointing to Charlie he explained, "Dat's de problem wit' ya kid's today-no discipline. Spare de rod, spoil de child," he quoted the Bible. "Ya kids need a spankin' every once in a while t' keep ya good. I got slapped _everyday_," he stretched the truth.

"Everyday?" Charlie pondered his words. "So now yah mus' be _really_ good, raht?"

He looked down at the boy wondering if one so young could have already mastered the concept of sarcasm. "Yeah, well," he mumbled as he started the car, "Ya _still_ need a good spankin'."

**(Control Room)**

Back at the mansion, the X-Men were all gathered around the doors of the control room waiting for Eric and Victor to enter, having watched them enter the base on one of the security cameras.

The doors opened and the two walked into the room greeted with people eager for new information-_good_ information.

"Vhat happened?" Kurt asked as he followed behind his leader. "Vhat did you hear?"

"That pussy was cryin' a river," Victor said, feeling rejuvenated with their new found lead. "We got _everythin'_ out of him."

Clarice jumped up for joy. "You know where Charlie is?"

Victor waved her off, seeing that she missed what he was trying to say. "Angel didn't know shit 'bout Charlie, but he did know that Remy was braggin' 'bout comin' into a _lot_ of money."

Bobby shook his head, already figuring that the new information didn't fit into what they concluded earlier. "Why would Remy care so much about money?"

"To make a long story short," Victor said as they all hung on his every word, "Remy's broke, his father is looking to kill him and…"

"He's living in the sewers of New York City," Eric cut in, wanting to bring focus back into the group. _That's the best lead we have to go on right now._

"So the letter that he left?" Clarice asked.

"We figure that it was jus' a distraction t' buy him some time so that he can get as far away from here as possible," Victor said, only repeated what Eric had told him on their way back to the mansion. "I still think he's doin' this to get Rogue's attention…but now we _know_ he's gonna try and gorge us for a ton of dough."

"But we should still make contact with his home base," Eric added, knowing that it was going to take a lot of work to get a location. "Iceman, Blink, start searches on all the New York tunnels and see what you get."

They instantly headed toward the sensitive computers to begin the search.

Turning to the other two, he ordered, "Morph and Nightcrawler, find our contacts and see what they know about Remy and where _exactly_ he might be staying."

**(some time later)**

Rogue paced around the living room. She couldn't bare sitting around doing nothing in her room while everyone scurried around in the control room carrying out their assigned duties. She didn't know what to do with her self and felt like she could scream just to let everything out.

_Damn it! How could Ah have let Gambit take mah child raht from under meh!_ She thought angrily. _How could he…_

"Um…excuse me, Rogue?"

Rogue spun around in shock to see a woman who she didn't at all recognize. "Yes?"

The woman extended her hand. "I'm Elizabeth Braddock…" She waited a couple of seconds for the other woman to acknowledge who she was, but instead Rogue just stared blankly at her, waiting for her to continue. "Remember, we met a couple of weeks back for a few minutes?"

Rogue shook her head, not able to recall the woman's face with so much else on her mind.

"You're husband introduced us briefly…I was hired as the new doctor."

"Oh," Rogue said vaguely recalling the meeting. _Eric had taken total control of the process of findin' a new doctor. _"That was a long time ago."

Betsy nodded in agreement as she flipped her purple hair over her shoulders. "I know! I needed a few extra weeks at my old job _and_ I was traveling from London so _that_ transition took a while too…" seeing that she was losing Rogue's interest, she decided to speed up the story, "Anyhoo, when we first met you mentioned in passing that if I had any problems on my arrival I should come to you."

"Okay," she answered, still unsure of where the conversation was heading.

"Well, I've just been up to my room--which is beautiful by the way--and I noticed that my washroom, though large, does not have a bath in it. Yes it has a shower, but I'm more of a bubble bath person and I was wondering if I could maybe switch rooms or have a bath installed ASAP…"

"Ah see," Rogue cut in needing no further explanation. "Ah am _so_ sorry for that mistake--it shouldn't have happened…"

"How could you have known," Betsy interrupted sympathetically. "I guess I should have been a little more specific on my demands."

Rogue smiled and nodded. "Well, Ah'm goin' though some things at the moment with mah missin' son."

"Oh yes, I heard about that," she said with compassion. "You have my deepest condolences."

"Thank yah," she replied. "But Ah will put findin' mah son and dealin' with the bastard that kidnaped him on hold tah personally install your necessities. Ah wouldn't wan' the sun tah fall without yah havin' your _fuckin'_ bubble bath." Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, "What time is good for yah?"

Betsy raised her eyebrows catching the strong sent of sarcasm that hung in the air. Staying cool, she responded, "Needn't you worry about my troubles. I'm sure I can find someone else for help."

Rogue uncrossed her arms and walked past Betsy, not masking the look of disgust on her face.

"What a bitch," Betsy mumbled, turning around to see Victor watching her from the hallway. She raised a brow with disdain, noticing the smirk on his lips. Moving toward her, she could tell he was clearly amused by her antics.

"Ya ain't makin' a good impression," he said stopping to stand in front of her.

Betsy rolled her eyes, wondering if she made the best choice when she decided to leave London for the X-Men. As they walked toward the elevator, she explained, "Let's just say that this was _not_ the welcome I expected."

Victor snickered, knowing where the young woman was coming from. "I'm sure ya were expectin' everyone t' kiss your ass."

"And why should I expect anything less?" She asked rhetorically as they stepped into the elevator and the door closed. "Eric moved heaven and Earth to get me to accept this job."

"We needed a telepath," he stated unapologetic.

"What you _needed_ was a doctor. And like I said before, my specialty is _telekinesis_."

"Whatever," he mumbled without a care as the elevator door opened to the basement floor. "We ain't interested in that."

Walking out of the elevator, they headed toward the control room doors. "This entire experience is a nightmare," she said with aggravation.

"For ya?"

"Yes, me!" She answered hastily before she could figure out that he was playing with her. "For me _and_ Rogue, Eric and their little boy of course," she added with a guilty smile.

"Of course," he agreed with a grin.

She gave him a quick look over, noticing his almost cheerful demeanor. "You don't seem too broken up over the incident."

"There was a moment when all I could do was think about the kid."

"And now?"

"And now," leaning closer, he revealed, "I have other things t' think about."

The doors opened and they entered the control room, still in each other's company.

Eric had been all over the control room keeping an up to date report on what was happening to properly acknowledge Betsy. However, he found himself with a few minutes of down time and decided to make a move in her direction.

"Elizabeth Braddock," he greeted her with a solemn expression. "You've come on a very hectic day."

"I'm quite aware of that," she responded with distaste. Combing her long hair with her fingers, she added, "Luckily Mr. Creed has done his best to entertain me for the most part."

"I'm glad," he said acknowledging Victor, although he did not look as if he were.

Victor took Eric's presences as his cue to leave them to discuss other matters. Without another word, he left them be.

"Have you taken the time to look at your lab?"

"Yes, I toured it all by my lonesome," she said searching for a sympathetic reaction.

He looked at her blankly.

Seeing as though Eric did not give her the reaction she wanted, she continued, "You have all the latest equipment and then some."

"And I take it that you being here, you have indeed accepted the job offer."

She sighed with the knowledge that she really did not have a choice. "There's not much I can do now. I've already sold my pad in London."

"Good," he stated simply. _She could not have arrived at a better time. I can actually put her to good use. _"I'm sure given all this time, you've become familiar with X-Men procedure."

"I'm a fast learner, Eric," she said recounting the amount of time Eric had tested her physical abilities in the Killing Room. "I've kept up on my training."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." If his son was not missing, he would have found reason to smile. "Welcome to the team."

"Thank you," she was saying until a commotion on the other side of the room caught Eric's attention, "I'm sure this will be an adventurous experience," she finished even though her new leader had already brush by her to see what was going on.

Bobby exchanged high fives with Clarice. "Hell yeah!"

Eric appeared behind them in an instant. "What is it, Blink?"

Typing into the keyboard, she answered, "We got a lock on vital signs down in lower Manhattan."

Pietro peered over Eric's shoulder, looking on the small computer screen. "How do we know that it's not just sewer workers?"

Bobby looked up at him as if he were insulted. "Our contacts have seen Gambit around the area the last few days." _This has got to be the motherfucker's hideout. I'd bet my life on it!_

Eric squeezed both their shoulders. "Good job, everyone."

"So what now?" Kurt asked, anxious to take the next step in the plan.

"I'm going to send a team out." He turned towards the entire group and said in a commanding voice, "We have a location on Gambit's hideout."

"What are the odds that Charlie will be there?" Betsy asked.

"Slim to nil," Pietro answered, knowing Remy would know better than to head back to his hideout.

"Charlie won't be there, I can guarantee it. Unfortunately, Gambit is too smart to keep Charlie at his base." Turning toward the entire team, Eric called out, "Sabertooth, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler and Psylocke will be going to the hideout to get information. Gambit may not be there, but his crew will be."

Kurt tapped his hand with his cane. "Ve'll get them talking."

"Quicksliver."

Pietro stood at attention. "Yes, sir."

Eric waited until his men left his side to prepare for their mission before he spoke on. When he and his son had some privacy, he said, "I need to stay here with Rogue. _You'll_ lead the team."

He was shocked by his father's words, expecting that Eric would lead the team. "Yes, sir," he answered, trying to contain his glee. _My father trusts me with this important mission. I know that the last thing he wants to do is let me lead the team because he won't be in control. _He realized that the pressure was truly on him. _I can't screw this up. _

"Remember the new recruit, Betsy Psylocke Braddock?"

"Yeah, I thought I saw her around."

"She's a budding telepath. See if you can make use of it."

He nodded firmly. "Of course."

"One more thing," he said a little softer, making sure no one else was in ear shot. "Sabertooth is on the rampage."

"When isn't he?" He responded jokingly. _It's no secret that it takes a special finesse to handle Creed out on missions. _

"Let him do his thing," he instructed. "But keep him on a short leach. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good." Eric watched as the team made their way towards the doors. He felt like holding his breath until the group returned.

**(later on in the sewers)**

Jubilee bit her nails nervously. She hated any time Remy was away on missions without her, but what made it worse was the fact that she didn't know when he would be coming back. She looked around their temporary home knowing that they would have to make a move by the next day.

_'Cause of all the shit Remy has been gettin' himself into lately, we have t' move around the sewers every two days so we won't get caught. _Her thoughts troubled her. _But when we move tomorrow, how is he gonna know where t' find us? _Her worries soon dissipated with the knowledge that even though she had no ability to contact him, he would have at least trusted Ororo with his whereabouts.

"I'm hungry!" Guido declared, rubbing his large belly. "Anybody got cash on 'em?" He asked hoping his pathetic demeanor would attract enough sympathy.

"What happened to your allowance?" Sunspot asked.

"I spent it."

Jubilee placed her hand in her bare jacket pocket. "I'm tapped out. I gave Gambit the bit I had left so that he could have somethin' t' spend on his trip." Rethinking the entire matter, she questioned, "Anyway, do ya really think it's worth going up top now?" _God only knows who's lookin' for us._

"You're right," Ororo said weighing out all their options. "We'll stay put for now--at least just until we know how safe it is."

"Or isn't," Sunspot added.

"Gambit will…" Ororo started to say as a gush of wind swept through the room. Before she could finish her sentence she noticed a collar on her neck. "What the…"

A puff of smoke appeared in front of Jubilee and before she could react there was another puff of smoke in front of Sunspot.

"Fuck!" Guido yelled feeling the heavy device around his neck and noticing it on Jubilee and Sunspot. "It's a Genosha collar."

The gust of wind disappeared leaving Pietro standing in the center of the room followed by Kurt emerging from a puff of smoke. Pietro pressed a button on the controller in his hand activating the collars.

"Okay folks! We are going to make this short and sweet," Pietro informed them in a commanding voice as the rest of the team stormed into the room.

Betsy used her telekinetic abilities to hold the four mutants in place. It took great concentration for her to keep them frozen and fight against their attempts to move their limbs. Victor made his move and began to individually tie the group up, concluding the final part in the plan that they had devised on their way to the sewers. Victor had hoped that the plan wouldn't have gone down as easy as it did, but it was too late now.

Pietro watched as Victor tied the young girl's hands behind her back in a too-tight knot, but decided not to take issue with it. "We know that you all are running with Gambit." Focusing on the two males he asked, "Which one of you scumbags did he leave in charge?"

"That would be me," a female voice answered from behind him surprising Pietro, "the scumbag that's behind you."

Pietro spun around to face an attractive woman. He hesitated for a few seconds, spotting something familiar in her eyes.

"What is it?" Clumsily, she stood up, trying to find a balance now that her hands were tied. She refused to give away the fact that she was indeed scared being in a room with the X-Men without her powers. "Never seen a woman in charge before?"

"Yes, I have," he answered smoothly. "But I wasn't prepared to torture a woman for answers."

"Well…lucky me," she said with a grin.

"Don't speak too soon," Victor cut in between them, ending their playful flirtation. "I ain't got a problem torturin' a woman," he moved toward her causing Ororo to take a step back every time he took a step forward. "Hope ya're a screamer."

Before she could realize what was happening, he had her back against the wall and promptly placed his hand around her long neck. It was soft and delicate compared to Warren's and he loved the feeling of the bones underneath the surface of her skin.

"Fuck you!"

"I'm gonna make that your last words," he told her as he began to squeeze her neck. "But not before I make good use of ya," he said pushing himself up against her.

Pietro was disgusted, but didn't want their captures to know that he highly disapproved of Victor's actions. "Enough, Saber."

Still pressed against her, he looked at Pietro with an evil grin. "Don't worry; I'll let ya have a turn."

"I said, enough!" He yelled, unable to control his temper. Grabbing his shoulder, he dragged Victor away. "Let her go."

He yanked his arm away from Pietro. Stepping into his personal space, Victor whispered harshly into his ear, "Ya ain't got the stomach for this, kid. Magneto and I were up t' worse shit earlier."

"But now we have Psylocke, so we don't have to go through all that," he said, trying to clue Victor in on his game plan. "She's searching Gambit's second in command's mind right now."

He coughed up some phlegm and spit it on the ground. Victor was not use to working on a team with a telepath and didn't like the change in routine. _Psylocke's gonna search her mind instead of torturin' her? _"That ain't no fun," he mumbled, feeling as if he were useless. "I should of jus' stayed at the base."

_Shit, I'm losing him. _"I need you here for intimidation," he added, trying to keep Victor focus on what they had to accomplish.

A smile curled on his face as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "So we're doin' a lil' good cop, bad cop."

Pietro chose not to answer him.

Betsy stayed in the background, using her poorly exercised telepathic mutation to uncover the information they so desperately needed.

"Where's Gambit?" Pietro asked totally focused on the detainees.

They all remained silent.

"I'm a patient man, but not for too much longer."

"What are ya gonna do?" Jubilee asked, the first of them to speak up. "Run around in circles to make us dizzy?"

Sunspot and Guido chuckled.

Sabertooth lowered his head in disgrace. _Once a kid starts crackin' jokes when she should be shittin' her pants, ya know things ain't goin' right._

"What does she know, Psy?"

"Nothing…I think."

Pietro looked at her as if he hadn't heard her right. "What do you mean, you think?"

She shook her head in frustration. "It's hard for me to concentrate--too many distractions."

"Then _focus_!"

"Don't yell at me!" she snapped back twice as loud. "I told you all that I'm _not_ primarily a telepath," she said through clenched teeth.

He walked away from her and combed his fingers threw his hair in frustration. "Shit!"

"Vhat's going on?" Kurt asked, taking a moment from guarding the prisoners to find out where things stood.

"She can't get a read on 'em," Pietro answered. _There's no way I'm going back to my father without any answers. _He stormed back over to Betsy while Kurt went back to guarding.

Again she tried to focus her mind on Ororo. "I'm just going to need some time."

He checked his watch, already nervous about the length of time he had been in the sewers. "How _much_ time?"

"A lot," she replied truthfully.

"Fuck that," Victor exploded, darting toward Ororo and roughly lifting to her feet. The others under her command struggled to try and help her, but they were tied up in such away that it was impossible for them to move.

"Where's Gambit?!"

She kept her mouth shut.

"Where is he?" He asked again, pushing her hard against the wall.

It had been a long time since Ororo had been pushed around and she wasn't willing to be in that situation again. Not being able to bit her tongue any longer, she yelled, "Eat shit!"

He raised his hand to her and warned, "I ain't gonna ask ya again."

Without another word she spit directly between his eyes and within seconds his nails were driven deeply into the lower section of her stomach as he twisted his fingers around her insides.

She whimpered in pain, his strong grasp of her neck cutting off the cry from her vocal chords.

Betsy watched the scene with horror as he pulled his hand out and the blood gushed from her stomach. "Oh _shit_!" She went over to Ororo and pushed Victor aside.

"What did you just do?!" Pietro yelled running over to them. _Fuck! I took my eyes off him for just two seconds!_

"My hands slipped."

Pietro saw her spread out on the floor. Jamming his finger against Victor's chest, he yelled, "You messed up; you fucking messed up!"

"She's losing a lot of blood," Betsy told them as she examined Ororo on the ground. Looking up to Victor, she added, "I'm pretty sure you punctured one of her organs."

He shrugged without a care and said, "Oops." Victor couldn't resist restraining himself any longer; he brought his bloody hand to his face as his tongue darted out his mouth and lapped up the blood between his fingers.

Pietro happened to see his display, and even though he has seen Victor drink blood before, it never failed to make him queasy. "You sick fuck!" He yelled. "We won't know where to find Charlie if she dies."

"That bitch wasn't gonna tell us shit."

"Psy was still trying to read her mind."

"Like I said…oops," he repeated nonchalantly.

Betsy ripped a long piece of her uniform in order to dress Ororo's wound. She tightened the knot around the gash, causing Ororo to moan in agony. "Just breathe, okay? You'll be fine," she lied as most doctors would do in that situation. Leaving her patient's side, she rushed over to Pietro. "She needs medical attention right away."

"Okay." Pietro bent over Ororo ready to pick her up.

"No, let me take her," Betsy stated from behind him. "_This_ I can do." She focused her thoughts and without much effort she isolated Ororo's body with her mind and lifted her up in the air.

"Let's go," Pietro called out to Sabertooth, who then left the room behind Betsy, Ororo and Kurt. Pietro was about to leave then turned around suddenly and darted over toward the lone teen girl. Before she realized what was happening, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey, put me down!" Jubilee yelled as she tried to pound his back.

Pietro held firmly onto her wiggly body. "You're too young to be rolling with this crowd."

"Let me go!" She screamed as he carried her out of the sewers, away from the two men she had considered her brothers for three years.

**(hours later)**

Rogue held the tray of warm food tightly as she made her way into the holding area. Pietro and the team had returned from their mission with two of Remy's allies–one who was reportedly near death. Eric had Betsy perform life saving medical surgery on the fallen woman so that she might be able to give them information on Remy's whereabouts while Rogue decided to focus her attention on the young teen.

Rogue approached the cell, which was closed in with laser bars that made a soft humming noise, where the young girl was placed. _Eric is so focused on savin' the other girl's life, he is totally oblivious tah this girl._

The southern belle stopped short as the prisoner came into her view. The girl was of Asian decent and seemed so scared and frail. "Hi." Rogue said, holding the tray against her chest. "What's yahr name?"

Jubilee looked her over suspiciously, but refused to respond.

Rogue walked up to the barred cell and pushed the tray into the food slot. She watched as the young girl stared at the food with no intention on taking it.

"Eat it," she urged pushing the tray further into the jail. "It's not poison," Rogue said, trying to reassure her with a kind smile. Observing the girl's thin frame and pale complexion, she added, "Yah look like yah could use a good warm meal."

Turning her back toward the food, she held her head high with pride. "I ain't never wanted for nothin' since I've been with Gambit."

"Are yah sure?" She asked heavily breathing in the yummy smell. "It's meatloaf day."

_Meatloaf? I love meatloaf! _The smell was driving her insane with hunger, never mind the fact that she had only bread and butter for breakfast. "Well, since ya already went t' the trouble of makin' it…" dashing over to the food, she grabbed the tray and backed away, finally resting with it on her lap. Her mouth was watering. "I'm not suppose t' waste food."

Jubilee scooped her hand into the meatloaf; it was a little on the hot side, but she choose instead to bare the pain as she shoved the contents into her mouth. Before she could swallow, more food was pushed into her mouth, causing her cheeks to puff out as if she were a hamster storing food.

_This child needs a lesson on table manners_, she thought to herself. "There's a fork on yahr tray."

She slowed her chewing as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in embarrassment.

"There's a napkin there too." Rogue studied her closely waiting for the perfect opening to make her move. "Charlie loves meatloaf--actually he's loves everythin' really."

Swallowing, she looked at her captor cautiously wondering what the woman was trying to do.

"It's nothin' for him tah ask for thirds," Rogue said with a distant smile.

"He looks like ya." She narrowed her eyes accusingly at the other woman. "You his sister?"

_So she has seen Charlie, _she thought finally feeling a glimmer of hope. "Ah'm his mother."

She kept one eye on Rogue as she gulped down a cup of apple juice. "Ya look so young. I'd figure Magneto was married t' some old chick."

"Yah've met mah son?"

She shrugged casually. "For a bit."

"He can be a li'l on the difficult side at times."

The young teen couldn't hold back the smile from appearing on her face as she remembered her short time with the boy. "No, no, he was so sweet with me," she said inching forward to her captor. "He was laughin' all the time tellin' childish jokes. We played a game of cards together."

"Go Fish, Ah presume?"

Jubilee nodded.

"Eric gave him a pack of cards on his last birthday and his brother Pietro taught him Go Fish recently and he's _obsessed_ with it."

"We had a good time. He's the cutest thing ever," she stated with absolute certainty.

"But then he left yah?"

"Yeah, Gambit had to…" Jubilee paused mid-sentence. _She thinks she's so smart--like hell, I'm ever gonna sell Gambit out. _With a pissed off expression, she backed away from Rogue, again shoving the food in her month in silence.

Morph crept silently into the into the holding area to watch the unfolding scene, knowing how to blend into the background unbeknownst to the two women.

Rogue's heart sank as she realized she might have just blown any chance of connecting with the girl. "Please don't shut meh out. Yah can't understand how scared Ah am for Charlie."

Jubilee slapped up the gravy with the biscuit, showing no sign of remorse.

"He is mah only child--a child that Ah was never suppose tah have!"

Her plate was cleaned of all the food. She licked the ruminants of food from her fingers, feeling content. "Where's 'Ro?"

She stopped her babbling long enough to respond. "Who?" Rogue then remembered that the girl was not captured alone. "Oh, the woman that came in with yah. She's still recoverin' in the lab."

"Is she gonna die?"

"Ah don't know," she answered shaking her head, trying to pretend that she cared. "Yah're friend lost a lot of blood."

"But she _can't_ die." _It's not like 'Ro and me were all that close, but I liked havin' her be a part of our team. _The vicious scene of the attack on Ororo replayed in her mind, causing her anger to reemerge. "Ya're so worried about your son, one of your henchmen tried t' kill her and she didn't know nothin'."

"It was an accident."

"Ya don't know that; ya weren't there!" Throwing the tray to the floor she yelled, "He's a manic!"

"Ah agree, it shouldn't have happened." Rogue latched onto the bars that separated her from the girl. "It wasn't suppose tah go down the way it did."

"But it _did_ go down the way it did." Looking around her enclosed space, she said, "I wanna go back home t' Sunspot and Guido."

"Ah know yah're scared--yah have every reason tah be. Yah're in a new place with strangers and yah don't know what's goin' on, imagin' how Charlie feels--and he's only _four_ years old."

"Your boy will be fine."

She shook her head adamantly. "No, he won't. He's in danger. Gambit is puttin' him in extreme danger."

"Gambit would never hurt that kid."

"Ya don't know what yah're talkin' about li'l girl."

"I'm no _girl_!" Jubilee yelled in response. "And I know Gambit better than any of ya."

"Then yah must know that he's plannin' on sellin' Charlie tah the highest bidder."

"So then all yah have tah do is bid the highest and you'll have nothin' t' worry about."

"And what if we don't have enough cash?" She asked, truly terrified of the answer. "If we don't get him--Gawd knows who will and then what?"

Jubilee shrugged her shoulders, pretending that she didn't care about the little boy's safety.

"Whoever gets him next will use Charlie as bait," she said, answering her own question. "Maybe even _kill_ him." _Gawd forbid._

Jubilee rolled her eyes, refusing to be scared into spilling any information. "Gambit's not givin' Charlie over t' no strangers that could kill him."

"He will--at least, that's the latest news we're hearin'."

"No, that ain't right," she shook her head adamantly, _That can't be right. _"Your son will be fine. I _know_ he will."

"How do yah know?"

"I just...do," she said trying to believe her own words. It didn't help matters at all when Ororo's words about Charlie from early in the morning flashed through her mind, _'I hope you took a good look at him. It's probably the last time you'll see him.' _Jubilee silently wondered if Charlie's mother was right to be so frightened.

Morph couldn't take what he was seeing. It was obvious to him that Rogue wasn't getting anywhere with the girl. _The only person that could have had info on Gambit is fighting for her life in the ER as we speak. This kid doesn't know anything. _"Hey, the girl obviously doesn't know what's going on."

Rogue turned to face him in, a bit taken aback that he was listening to their conversation. "What the hell do yah know?!"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Just let it go, Rogue."

Jubilee froze in her spot a couple of seconds before she turned around to face the other two. "Rogue?" Squinting her eyes, she looked the woman over again with more scrutiny. "Your name's Rogue?"

She hesitated a moment, wondering what answer she could give that would be to her favor. _Ah might as well tell her the truth. _"Yes?" _Does she know meh?_

"I should have known it was you." Jubilee recalled hearing little bits of stories of the infamous Rogue and her turbulent relationshipwith Remy. Looking at her now, the young girl realized what all the fuss was about. "Ya're even prettier than I imagined."

She didn't know quite how to respond. "Th-thank yah."

"No wonder he was so crazy about ya." She bit her bottom lip, knowing that a couple of years ago Remy would have done anything for Rogue. "Ya just about drove him mad."

Rogue raised a brow, but remained silent. _Literally?_

"Gambit was talkin' a couple of days ago on the phone--I overheard him." She didn't know why she was telling her the tiny bit of information that she knew, maybe it was only because she knew her info was useless. "He was talkin' t' someone over the phone and said that he would be there in a couple of days with the boy. I didn't know who he was talkin' about then, but today it all makes sense."

"So how do yah know Charlie will be fine?" Rogue hung on the Jubilee's every word.

" 'Cause the person he's meetin' with is the sweetest woman in the world. She would never let anythin' happen t' your son."

Feeling her body beginning to shake, she tried to gain control over it. "Who is she?"

Jubilee chewed on the inside of her cheek, debating whether of not she should divulge any information. _She looks so scared with worry when she has absolutely no reason to be afraid. And besides, the little bit I know won't be enough for her to figure anything out. _"I don't really know that much about her--met her once a while ago..." _Remy sent me t' her t' deliver a message a while back. _"But her name is Jean."

Rogue's mouth opened in shock as her eyes widened two sizes. Without giving Jubilee a second look, she jumped up from the floor, pushing Morph aside and dashed out of the holding area in search of her husband.

**(nightfall)**

She looked through the peep-hole making sure the right person was standing on the other side. An automatic smile appeared on her face when she saw the distorted figure of her former teammate. Suppressing her smile, she opened the door with a stern look on her face. "You're late."

Remy was leaning against the frame of the door, grinning at the sight of the beautiful red head. Grasping her elbow, he pulled her toward him, placing his other hand around her lower back. "Let me make it up t' ya."

Jean giggled in response, pressing both hands against his chest to prevent him from getting too close. "Yup, you're still the same 'ol Gambit."

Immediately he turned serious, looking over her head into the room. "Motel wit' two bedrooms and a bag full of goodies."

Giving him a heavy plastic bag, she said, "Exactly like you ordered." She turned to the side and gestured for him to enter.

He looked at her, not accepting her silent invite. "Den go," he ordered, pointing with his head toward one of the bedrooms.

"You still expect me to go through with it?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yup, now go. Vite!"

She held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay." Jean walked into one of the bedrooms and shut the door. She pressed her ear against the wall so she could hear the rustling on the other side. She heard the other bedroom door open and the chatter of voices.

"Ya can play wit' your toys in dere," she heard Remy say.

"But Uncle, Ah wan' _yah_ tah play with meh," she heard a high squeaky voice wine.

"Dat ain't gonna happen. I have other t'ings t' take care of."

She then heard the door slam shut.

Jean stepped away from behind her door just in time as Remy pushed it open. "Ya can come out now."

Jean followed him back out toward the living room and could hear soft banging on the closed bedroom door.

"Stop de bangin'!" Remy yelled as he led her to a small round table in the tiny room.

Jean sat down opposite the thief. "He sounds _so_ cute!"

Remy could not conceal his frustration. "Annoyin' is more like it."

"Can't I just take a quick peak at him?"

"Non."

"Please!" She pleaded, clasping her hands together.

"Listen, I'm tryin' t' make dis go as smoothly as possible." Leaning in toward her he added, "Don't make it more difficult on yourself."

She knew that he was right and decided not to push the issue. "Fine."

A little over six years had past since she had last seen Remy. She pushed that thought from her mind, finding it more uplifting to remember the time she first met the thief. She let out a soft giggle still not able to accept that the young man she knew all those years ago was the same man that she would come to love.

"Ya ready?"

"_You_ ready?" she countered, wringing her fingers together.

He let out a heavy sigh. Everything was already set in motion and there could be no turning back. "Oui."

She stood up from her side of the table and walked over to Remy. Tenderly, she placed her smooth hand on the lower side of his face and slowly moved it along his strong features. Her hands began to tremble, telling Remy in volumes that she was nervous without the need of empathy.

He placed his hand over her delicate wrist in order to calm her nerves. "It's okay, chere. I _trust_ ya."

She laughed uneasily, hovering over the man that she would do anything for. "That's what worries me."

**Next Time:** Remy tells his story and makes contact with Rogue.


	5. Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Marvel Comics

**Note:** Just to clarify, this story does take place in AOA, but it doesn't follow the same time line (nobody is looking for the 'crystal'), so it's AU. Also, this is the chapter were most everything is explained.

**Stolen**

**Chapter 4**

**Hide and Seek**

Jean-Luc entered the makeshift base of his son's crew. His men had already swarmed the area and made sure everything was safe before he entered. He walked around the ratty furnished living space, shaking his head in disgust.

_How could Remy ever live like dis? Wit' me, he was raised wit' de finest t'ings de family could steal._ Looking down at the filthy sofa, he thought, _And now it looks as if instead of stealin', he goes diggin' t'rough de trash._

His eyes finally rested on the man slouched against the wall with his hands and feet bound and a Genosha collar still around his neck, courtesy of the X-Men.

"Mr. Guido, I presume," Jean-Luc stated with a gentleman's smile that reminded Guido all too well of Remy.

_That's exactly the look Remy gives a person when he's pretendin' to play nice._ On instinct, his guards shot up, not willing to fall for the master thief's phony appearance. As if Jean-Luc could sense the change in the fat man's reaction, he toned down his smile. "Look, I'm goin' t' give it t' ya straight." Bending down on one knee, he stated simply, "All I want is my son."

He scoffed. "What you _want_ is to kill him."

With a tilt of his head, he replied, "Better him dan ya."

He took offence. "I am _under_ Gambit's command," he said, his eyes piercing. "It's better _me_ than him."

"Ya are willin' t' die for, Gambit?" Though Guido did not respond, he knew the answer was yes and he wasn't surprised. Shaking his head ruefully, he mused, "My son always knew how t' pick dem." _And more importantly, now t' keep dem in line. _"So dere is not'ing I can say t' get ya t' confess Gambit's whereabouts?"

"Nothin'," he answered defiantly.

Jean-Luc stood up, unsure of what his next move would be. The fat man was scared, he knew that for sure, but there was something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. Suddenly, figuring out the mystery, he raised a curious brow. "Do ya even know where Remy is?"

Guido remained quiet, choosing not to answer.

He smiled triumphantly. "Of course you don't. _Never mind the fact that we watched from a far as the X-Men left the sewers with two of Gambit's crew members. Maybe they were the two that had the needed information._

"Ya are a brave one." He stretched out his right hand as Guido pressed himself further back against the wall and noticed that the hand was not a hand, but a metal _hook_. Jean-Luc touched the top of Guido's head as a ritual of a blessing, a last respect. "Remy was lucky t' have ya on his team."

The bound man felt troubled by his captor's words. _**Was** lucky?_

Jean-Luc gave a slight bow of his head as he stood up then walked out of the room into the dark tunnels as one of his men ran into the room.

He rested his good hand against the wall to brace himself, as he said a silent _Our_ _Father_ prayer...

_...Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,_

_On earth as it is in Heaven, _

_Give us dis day, our daily bread_

_And forgive us our trespasses..._

_**Zap!**_

His body jerked at the sharp sound of a single bullet passing through the tunnel of a silencer. He paused a moment until he heard the familiar sound of a lifeless body slumping to the floor.

_As we forgive dose who trespass against us_

_Amen_

He quickly made the sign of the cross. Regaining his composure, he continued his walk, wondering if he would ever get use to the sound of a gunshot; however, those were the ways of the _new_ Guild–the Assassin/Thieves Guild.

**(in the e.r.)**

Betsy easily fit into her role as doctor for the X-Men, saving the life of her first severely injured patient on her first day on the job. She figured all the new and advanced equipment would take a little longer to get more than just familiar with, but she was ready for the challenge.

The doctor looked at her patient after she saw a bit of movement. _Hello,_ she thought, walking over to the bedside. _I think I've just saved a life. _She thought proudly.

Betsy lowered her head, so that Ororo could easily focus her weary eyes on her face.

"Congratulations," Betsy said cheerfully to the battered woman. She could see the look of confusion on her patient's face. "Don't look so glum; you're out of the woods."

Ororo slowly shook her head as pain shot through her body. "I feel like I've been hit by an 18-wheeler," she whispered harshly because of a dry voice.

"That's because you have only a bit of morphine running through your bloodstream," she stated matter of factly as she skimmed through the medical clipboard chart. "I'm from the shcool that belives the body should take a natural progression on healing itself."

"I'd much rather the doctor that believes in shooting me with drugs every time I ask a question."

Betsy laughed good-heartedly as she place a warm blanket over the sheet already covering Ororo. "Can't say that I blame you." Her attention soon drifted toward the man standing at the door. Looking back to Ororo, she said, "Would you excuse me?" And without another word, she left the room.

Eric entered the sick lab, eagerly awaiting the meeting of the patient. He approached Ororo's bedside, sitting on the edge. She stiffened at the sight of him.

He gave her a warm smile. "I'm glad to see you've returned to the land of the living."

"Hades sent me back. I was too much for the Underworld to handle."

"I've always known you would come back to me." He placed an affectionate hand on her arm. "I just never dreamed it would be in this condition."

"You can thank that psychopath on your team," she replied bitterly.

Eric knew who had caused her injuries. The only thing that surprised him was that the X-Men had only brought home _one_ injured party.

Taking a deep breath she said sadly, "I wanted to come back to the mansion when I heard about what happened to..." her voice trailed off into silence as her eyes drifted toward the ceiling and his eyes to the bed sheets. She couldn't bring herself to mention the name of his murdered daughter and he couldn't find the words to help her along.

"By the time I found out she died, three years had already passed." She wanted to cry, but no tears fell–she was still too weak. "I was disgusted with myself for letting so much time pass without any communication with my best friend–no matter how much I hated her father."

Moving his hand up and down her arm, he said, "There are few regrets in my life–and what I did with you is one of the few and for that I am truly sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry!" She pulled her hand away from him with contempt. "You told me _both_ my parents were dead. You showed me their grave stones. You convinced me that I was an orphan just so I would be in your custody when my mutation would first manifest itself."

Because Eric knew about mutation, when he first saw the shocking white hair of the then adolescent Ororo, he could senseshe would be a future mutant, whereas her parents assumed it was just a rogue gene. At the time he was willing to do something unethical for what he knew would serve a better purpose for the future. _And now after all these years, she is still holding it against me._

"And so this is how you planned your revenge? Assisting Gambit with the kidnaping of my son."

"Well, it would be fitting; after all, you did in essence kidnaped me when I was a child." She relished in the moment for as along as she could before she reluctantly confessed, "But I had nothing to do with this. It was all Gambit's doing."

He stood up and walked toward the medical machinery, leaning onto it with the weight of his arm. "He would do _anything_ to get Rogue's attention–_anything_ to force her back to him."

Ororo laughed, not believing what she was hearing. "You've got to be kidding me? You honestly think that Remy believes _stealing_ a woman's child will gain him her favour?"

"He has loved her for a long time."

"He doesn't love anything," she mumbled.

He turned around to face her. "He has wanted her since forever."

"All he wants is money," she countered, a flash in her weak eyes.

"All he wants is his revenge on me."

She sighed. "His hatred of you is but a memory."

He looked deeply at her, finally _hearing_ what she was saying and finding her words disturbing. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, this situation is a lot more complex than you seem to realize."

He again approached her bedside. "They say that Gambit cannot spontaneously combust another person with a thought anymore." _It's one thing to have Warren tell me this as rumor, maybe Ororo can make it fact._

Ororo looked away refusing to answer the question. _It's not that I don't want to tell him, it's just that I'm not even totally sure. But I have my suspicions. _

Her expression was all he needed. "So it _is_ true." _How the hell did he manage to lose that power?_

"I don't know if it's true. But I _do_ know you should forget about the Gambit you use to know and love. He's changed."

"How so?"

"I can't really explain it. He's become more focused, more sure of himself and his main goals and how to reach them. Actually, now that I think about it, he reminds me a lot of you..."

He listened on.

"You know, the type of guy that would _steal_ a child away from her parents because it was the greater good?" Her lips curled into a disingenuous smile. "Remy stole Charlie away from you for the greater good–in this case, the greater good is lining his pockets with cash."

_Warren did say Gambit was desperate for cash, but I know there **has** to be more to the thief's demands. _"Where is Gambit headed?"

"I don't know." Sinking lower into the bed, she added, "But if I _did_ know, I still wouldn't tell you."

Before he could respond, the door to the E.R. opened as Rogue stood by the doorway.

"Eric, Ah need tah talk tah yah," she said, almost dying in the amount of time it took for him to leave the patient's side and join her in the privacy of the hallway.

He wasn't happy about being interrupted in the middle of his revealing conversation with his former student, who had left the team before Rogue became a member. "I was in the middle of an important..."

She blurted out, "The girl told meh were Remy was headed with..."

"What girl?" He cut in, not knowing what she was blabbing about.

Rogue huffed, hating to have to stop and explain herself. "The li'l Asian girl Pietro grabbed from Gambit's base." She waited until her husband nodded for her to continue. "Anyway, she told meh that Remy is meetin' with _Jean_-Jean Grey!"

Eric took a moment to contemplate all the implications of the newly uncovered information and determined it wasn't good. "If Gambit is meeting with Jean then one thing is for sure…"

"Logan won't be too far behind,"she finished his sentence in despair. _Logan despises Eric so much, he would sooner kill Charlie in place of Eric._ She held back the tears that were aching to fall. _Why did Ah have tah marry a man who is capable of turnin' teammates into enemies._ "What do we do now?"

He started to walk as she trailed him, figuring they were headed to the Control Room to inform the rest of the team. "We'll try and track Jean down. She's the key. Something tells me she won't be as allusive as Gambit."

Rogue nodded her head in confirmation.

**(meanwhile at the motel)**

After a ten minute examination, Jean removed her hands from Remy's scalp, sighing heavily.

"So, how does it look?"

"Well, it's hard to tell just by looking." Jean took the seat across from him at the small table. "The Dark Beast made the incision in the right general area–I won't know _exactly_ what he did until I go in." She looked over his tired face. "How have you been feeling?"

He shrugged, not giving the question much consideration. "Okay, I guess."

_Guessing is never good_. "You guess?"

_Actually, now dat I t'ink 'bout it. _"Lately, I've been gettin' dese insane headaches."

She looked deeply concern. "How long do they last for?"

Squinting his eyes, he thought hard. "A couple of seconds–sometimes a minute or two."

"When did they start?"

" 'Bout seven months ago."

"That's not good. I can almost assure you that your headaches are the result of Beast messing up your medical procedure. You're lucky he didn't kill you."

"Yeah...lucky."

She leaned back in her chair, still not able to get over the fact that Rogue's son was in the next room sitting behind a locked door. _Rogue as a mother? Now I've seen it all. _"I still can't comes to terms with Rogue, of all people, gaving _birth_ to a child," She stated shaking her head.

"Believe it," he mumbled without a care.

She leaned into the table, clasping her hands together, unable to stifle her curiosity. "Who does he look like?"

"De kid takes after his mother." Letting out a small yawn, he added, "Got Eric's white hair though."

She settled back into her seat, a faraway look on her face. "Well I'm happy for her."

She was finally able to peak his interest. He folded his hands on the table and grinned. "Ya are?"

"Yes," she said, sounding a tad defensive. "I'm happy _she_ had the experience of pregnancy."

He couldn't resist the urge to sense out her true feelings, which was harder to do without empathy. Trying to get some kind of telling response from her, he stated, "Dey got de life dat ya should be havin'."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised a brow. "No need to try and stir emotions in me, Remy. I have long ago accepted the fact that I cannot bare a child. You needn't worry either, I still hold _Magneto_ responsible."

He felt jittery, never liking to sit still in one spot for too long and the long car ride only amplified that feeling. He started to shake his knee to release some energy. "I'm glad dat ya do, even t'ough I mus' admit dat I've changed my opinion of dat incident all dose years ago."

"Huh?"

"Magneto made de right call when he ordered de team t' retreat even t'ough ya were captured."

She narrowed her eyes. "You don't really believe that."

"Yes, I do. Ya could have already been dead. Why risk losin' more lives when only _one_ was in danger."

"That's bullshit, Remy." She hated that point in her life and never liked to think back on that awful period of time. "If you had been there you would have _never_ left me behind."

"Ya're right." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette. "And I would of been a fool."

In another time, she would have been upset with his remarks; however, she knew more now not to get too offended. _I guess it really isn't his fault. _"I don't like this side of you, Remy. I don't like how Beast fucked up your mind."

He lit the end of the cigarette with his finger. "I like it. It feels good knowin' when t' make de best choices wit'out empathy weighin' ya down."

She shook her head regretfully. "If I were to close my eyes, I would think you were someone else." _He might as well be Eric. He has the enormous ego all he needs is the white hair. _But the fact that he reminded her of her days in captivity long ago, brought back memories of the rest of the team...one person in particular. "Have you seen Kurt lately?" She asked, smiling brightly.

He shook his head, blowing out a puff a smoke. "Nah, not since I left de team."

She lowered her head sadly. _Gee, I would give anything to know how Kurt was doing after all these years. _She shook the thought out of her head as she again focused on Remy, who had promised her days ago something that she was ready to call him up on. "So, now are you going to tell me the _entire_ story?"

_I did tell her dat I was goin' t' fell in de blanks 'bout my life after de X-Men up 'til dis point. _Pointing de end of the cigarette in her direction, he warned, "It's a long one."

"I got all night." She leaned back and relaxed in her chair, preparing for the story. "You had the operation about a year ago, so I'm figuring that's when it all started."

"Ya'd be wrong. It all started years before when I first _noticed_ Rogue was pregnant."

She waved her hand frantically, trying to displace the nicotine smoke that was feeling the room. "Noticed?"

"She use t' sneak out de mansion by herself and I would stalk her." _When I t'ink back t' it now, it's seems like I was a completely different person. _

"Why?"

"Even t'ough de night I left her I was determined t' forget her forever, but..."

"But?"

"_But_, forever seemed t' only last for a month, probably less." His voice grew softer, "Seein' her wit' child, _Eric's_ child...I t'ought I was goin' t' lose it."

"Did you?"

"I don't know...maybe." Shaking the thought from his head, he continued, "For a couple of years all I could do was t'ink 'bout her. Always somewhere in de back of my mind. I jus' wanted t' make it stop."

"Introduce the Dark Beast and you contacting him to extract your empathy."

"I felt more dan anyone could ever feel. It jus' got too much for me t' handle."

"After the surgery?" She asked pushing the story along.

"I felt different. I didn't have my empathy and I _knew_ it. I t'ought de surgery was a success."

_Here comes the twist. _"And then?"

"Two weeks later me and my crew put a plan into action, in order to gain more power. We decided t' take over de T'ieves Guild. See, if Jean-Luc was dead, Guild law states dat I would be left in charge." Giving a croaked smile, he added, "Of course, no one would know dat I was de one dat killed him."

His words begged for her to stop the story for some clarification. "And you just happened to come up with that plan _after_ your surgery."

"So?"

"You know you would have _never_ considered killing your father _before_ the surgery."

He rolled his eyes. Such detail was meaningless to him. "May I continue?"

She nodded her head yes.

"I called for a secret meetin' wit' my father–I told him I wanted t' discuss some matters 'bout de Guild. We met in a dark secluded area and wit'in ten minutes of our talks, I started t' charge his body."

"What happened?"

"I could feel dat somet'ing wasn't right–it's like dat part of my brain wasn't respondin' de way it use t'. Instead of Jean-Luc's_entire_ body glowin' red, only his hand began t' grow a strange _yellow_ color. He began t' scream in pain and I couldn't hold onto de charge anymore. As soon as I lost control, my head began poundin' and Jean-Luc's hand busted open–I could seeall de blood, veins and crushed bones..."

Imagining the scene Remy was describing made Jean feel woozy. _The very few times I've seen Remy spontaneously combust a person, I never saw blood or crushed bones...there would be nothing left of the person._

"Now for him to lose his arm–his _right_ arm–a _thief_? I knew he would spend de rest of his life huntin' me down." He shook his head. "Anyway, I had t' get out of dere right away, de pain in my head was too much for me t' handle."

"So that's when you realized the Dark Beast extracted more than just your empathy from your brain."

"Uh-huh." _Yeah, I can still charge objects wit' my hands, but I can't charge anything or anybody jus' by lookin' at dem. _Pointing to her, he said, "Dat's were ya come in."

She knew this part of his plan well. "Once you get the vile of the stuff that he took from your brain, I will operate on you and in essence, but you back together again."

"Ya're de only one I trust t' do de operation properly."

"And you needn't worry. I've been in the minds of the top brain surgeons for preparation. Even though I've never performed brain surgery before, I will be able to operate on you no problem. I'll make you whole again."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear. Looking her directly in the eye, he stated emphatically, "Let's get one t'ing straight. I _don't_ wan' t' be made _whole_."

_Damn! _She bit the inside of her cheek as she traced her finger along the lines on the table. "I was hoping you had changed your mind."

"It _ain't_ goin' t' happen, chere."

"But I've been doing a lot of thinking." She said, reestablishing eye contact. "I _know_ you still don't want to have your empathy, but I think it may be really necessary."

"Jean..."

"Just hear me out," she said holding up both hands and was relieved that he waved her on to continue. "Like Rogue can touch anyone and take away their mutation and essence, but to prevent her from going crazy and touching any and everyone, she has to _live_ with the voices in her head, which makes her avoid absorbing people unless it's her _last_ resort."

"Take my love, Logan. He has the power to heal himself of almost all injuries. What's stops him from being even more reckless than he is? The fact that every bullet to the head or stab in the stomach hurts like a bastard. He'll avoid getting hurt at all cost, because the pain can be unbearable."

He sighed loudly. "So, I guess dis is de point where ya relate dis all t' me."

"Every powerful mutation was a natural sort of balance. You confided in me when we were part of the X-men that your empathy made it hard for you to use your power to combust a person with a thought. You told me you could feel everything they were going through before the point of death and that you wouldn't wish that death on your _worst_ enemy."

_Yes I did say all of dat. Not even Eric my best friend or Rogue my girl new what I went t'rough when I used my mutation t' its fullest power. I even jumped in front of a bullet meant for Eric and almos' died rather dan use my powers t' kill de enemy._ He snickered at the memory, wondering now, why the hell he risked _his_ life for Eric. _But dat's de kind of t'ing my empathy made me do._ Looking back at Jean, he stated, "_No_ empathy."

"But..."

"And dat's final."

"Whatever."

He glared at her.

"All right, _fine!_" _Yes, I'll do what he wants, but I don't have to pretend to be happy about it. _"I still don't get why you are all of a sudden out of money. You were a millionaire."

He grinned at her nativity. "I was a millionaire in credit, not in _cash_. Once Jean-Luc realized dat I attempted t' screw him over, he screwed _me_ over–_royally_. A couple of days after me tryin' t' kill him, all my credit went t' zero. Yes, I am de Prince of T'ieves, but he is still de King, plus he has the Guild behind him. De only t'ing I can keep hold of is cash and it don't matter how many pockets I pick, ain't nobody carryin' dat kind of cash on dem anymore." He puffed on the cigarette. "What I need now is cash, a _lot_ of cash." _Dat way I can payoff de Dark Beast and get back my vile._

The smoke was becoming overwhelming as she again tried to wave it from her face with her hand. "I hope you weren't smoking this much with the boy trapped with you in the car for hours."

"Ya t'ink I could pull out a _cig_ in front of dat kid wit'out hearin' him whinin'," Putting on a perfect Mississippi accent, he imitated the boy, " 'It's not good tah smoke, mamah says it's bad, bad, bad. Uncle Victah smoke's and mamah gets mad at him' blah, blah, blah..."

His grumbling about Charlie was not having the intended negative effect on Jean. She looked lovingly toward the door and even though she hadn't laid eyes on him, she confessed, "I still think he's cute."

Remy acted as though he were insulted. "_He's_ cute." He used the opportunity to inch his chair over to Jean's side. Placing his arm over her chair, he asked, "What 'bout me?"

She blushed, never shying away from the fact that she thought him to be very charming, a little too charming. "_You?_ I think you're trouble."

Leaning his head, closer to her, he said, "De good kind of trouble."

"Is there such a thing?"

His eyes traced her body. "Ya gimmie a couple of minutes and we can find out."

She scrunched her face at his response. "A _couple_ of minutes? That doesn't sound very romantic."

"What do ya what from me?" He asked, mocking a sense of outrage. "I happen t' be on a _very_ tight schedule."

She giggled at his joke, but turned her head as he closed his eyes and moved into her, making his move. "Cut it out." She placed a hand on his chest. "Logan happens to be very fond of you, but that _will_ change if you continue to pursue this any further."

With a swift move of his hand, he moved her hand from his chest and leaned in and gave her a kiss on the mouth. He could feel her lips opening up for him, but instead he pulled away from her. "Jus' know dat de only reason why I stopped is 'cause ya can't get anyt'ing pass Logan's nose."

She was flushed, but managed to compose herself as he stood up and patted down his trench coat.

"Excuse me. I have t' go and make a call."

She watched as he headed for the door in ordered to leave. "Why can't you just do it here?"

"I don't wan' it t' be traced." Turning back to her, he started to say, " 'Bout de boy..."

"I'll watch him," she replied without hesitation.

He gave her a stern look.

Jean rolled her eyes. "I'll keep the door closed."

With a firm nod of his head, he reached for the knob. "I'll be back soon. Don't open de door for nobody."

**(sometime later in the middle of nowhere)**

Remy drove about 20 minutes to an area that was covered with electricity wires and poles. He knew the place was perfect to make calls from his cell phone without the worry of his call being tracked to his present location.

He parked his car and walked over to the spot he determined to have the most electrical disturbance and started to dial a series of numbers only to have a an unfamiliar voice of a recording telling him that number he was dialing was not in service.

He cursed underneath his breath, before making another call. The phone rang twice before he heard...

"Gambit!"

It was Sunspot who he was speaking to. He was happy to get him, but would have preferred to be speaking with someone else. "I'm jus' checkin' in." His eyes kept on scanning the surrounding area. "'Ro's cell ain't turned on."

"It's fucked up, Gambit." Sunspot paced the damp hideout located in the sewers. "Shit _ain't_ goin' like clockwork."

Remy wasn't one to let his emotions take him over and he didn't want Sunspot to do the same. "Calm down. What happened?"

"The X-Men came tearin' into here."

"Dat's t' be expected." He wasn't naive. He assumed that given time, the X-Men would eventually find his temporary base of operations.

"Yeah ,well they snatched Storm, who's either dead or dyin', took Jubilee...I left for 20 minutes t' get some tools to take off the Genosha collars around our neck and I came back t' find Guido dead...the X-Men must have came back and killed him."

He ran his fingers through his hair with frustration. _What de fuck? Guido gettin' killed **wasn't** part of de plan._ But the more he thought about it, the more he knew the situation didn't make any sense. "Dey couldn't have killed Guido–dat's _not_ de X-Men's style."

"You weren't here to witness the crazy X-Men beast go psycho and gut Storm."

He made a fist, knowing only one man on the X-Men fit the description of a psycho. "Sabertooth."

"Yeah, that's the one," he replied, remembering hearing the beast respond to that name.

"Den tell me dis, was Guido gutted?"

He lowered his head, having the picture of his dead friend's body etched in his mind. "No. It was a clean shot to the head."

"Right between de eyes?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

_Fuck!_ "Sunspot, get out of dere _now_!"

He shook his head even though Remy could not see him. "No way! I can't leave Guido's body here for the rats to devour. I _have_ to bury him, he's my comrade."

"What he is, is dead, and ya will join him if ya don't get your ass out of dere _now_!" _Right now I'm down by t'ree and I'll be damned if I lose someone else._

_Shit! If he's freakin' out it could only mean his dad was behind Guido's death. _Still, he couldn't leave, not just yet. "I know what the risks are and I'll leave..._after_ I bury him."

Remy accepted his answer, knowing Sunspot would not change his mind. "Do what ya gotta do." And because he knew how to be a leader, he added, "If ya don't make it, I'll be sure t' honor ya by bury _both_ your bodies."

**(moments later)**

"Where is she!" Eric demanded to know as he peered over the shoulder of Bobby.

"I'm getting nothing," he answered, the pressure of his leader on his back causing his fingers to make more typos than what he would normally do. "Within the last week, sightings of Jean Grey has gone from sporadic to none at all." He stopped his typing and spun around on his chair to face Eric. "It's like she disappeared off the face of the earth."

Sabertooth snickered at Bobby's perceived nativity. "It's more like Gambit told her t' keep a low profile 'cause we might try t' hunt her down."

Rogue turned to Morph who was tracking someone else down on the other computer. "What about Logan?"

"All informants report that he's been overseas for almost two weeks." He cracked his knuckles. "Seems like he doesn't have anything to do with Charlie being kidnaped."

_Thank_ _Gawd_! Rogue thought with a sigh of relief.

Bobby was wearing an earpiece and was distracted by the ringing of the mansion phone. Since it seemed to him that Morph, who was also wearing an earpiece, wasn't going to answer it, he pressed a button on his computer to pick up the call.

"Hello? Bobby speaking."

"Hey, Bobby. I'm callin' t' speak wit' Rogue."

He became still, recognizing the voice–at least he thought he did. Very quickly he mumbled, "One moment please." And put the person on hold, ripping off his earpiece. "Magneto!" He yelled, getting Eric's immediate attention.

"What is it?"

He pointed frantically to the computer. "I think it's Gambit on the phone," he answered in a loud whisper as if Remy could hear him. "He's asking for _Rogue_."

Eric grinded his teeth, infuriated to have the thief ask for his wife. He reached for the earpiece. "Over my dead..."

Rogue hurried over to them. "Yes, Ah'll talk tah Gambit."

"Why!"

"Remember, the note said Ah _wasn't_ suppose tah tell anyone that Remy had Charlie. If yah get on the line, he'll know that Ah broke the deal. Ah don't wan' Charlie tah be in anymore trouble."

She was right, he knew she was right, but still wanted a compromise. "Fine, you can talk to him." As she reached for the earpiece, he covered it with his hand. "But you must put it on speaker phone." Turning to the other X-Men, he ordered, "Everyone remain quiet!" He nodded over to Bobby as he pressed the button to take Remy off of hold and another button to put him on speaker.

Rogue took a deep breath. "Hello?"

"Rogue?" His voice boomed throughout the Control Room.

Her hands were shaking as she held onto the earpiece still in her hands. "Yes, Remy, it's meh."

"Ya're voice sounds echo-ie compared t' Bobby's." Remy paused. "Am I on speaker phone?"

She looked around the room at all the staring eyes. "No," she lied.

He chuckled, listening as his voice bounced off the walls. "Well, it's either I'm on speaker phone or ya're takin' a dump in de washroom."

"Ah'm takin' a dump in the washroom," she answered flatly without missing a beat.

"I know dat should disgust me, but instead de mental picture is turnin' me on."

Morph started to laugh, but was quickly silenced by an elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Clarice.

Remy knew she was lying, but didn't mind playing along. "Anyway, I'm glad a room filled wit' people _aren't_ listenin' t' me. Now, I don't have t' concern myself wit' what I might let slip–ya know what I'm sayin'?"

There was a lump in her throat. She realized Remy could use the moment to inform the team about how she slept with him the night before he left all those years ago. Her eyes darted toward Eric, who seemed to be analyzing her every movement.

Remy spoke on, "Now I can talk freely 'bout de other night...and how ya begged me t' take ya wit' me."

Immediately she pressed a button on the computer, canceling the speaker phone and popped the earpiece into her ear. "Ya _lyin'_ piece of shit!"

"Perfect! Ya sound more clearer now dat ya picked up de receiver–or finished on de toilet."

"Ah'm not playin' this game with yah, Gambit!" She yelled as she clenched her fist, wishing she had his neck in her hands. "Where is mah son?"

"He is in my custody."

"Ah want tah talk tah him."

"Take it easy, chere. I'm runnin' de show. Ya're in _no_ position t' make demands, especially since ya _didn't_ follow my instructions."

Her heart was beating profusely in her chest. "What are yah talkin' about?"

"I heard dat two of my crew members were captured...and dat one was gutted."

She glared over at her psychopathic teammate, who grinned in response even though he could not hear the conversation. _Damn_, _Sabertooth_. "It was an _accident_."

"Ya were suppose t' keep your mouth shut for 48 hours and since ya changed de rules, dere has t' be a new game plan."

_Ah don't like the sound of that. _Reflecting on the last communication she had with Remy, she thought, _In the ransom note he wrote meh, he said he was lookin' for money. _Deciding to bypass all the unimportant chatter, she asked, "How much is it gonna cost tah get Charlie back?"

"How much is he worth t' ya?"

_Everythang is always a game tah him. _"Charlie's priceless."

"How sweet. Dat's an answer only a mother can give–and in dis case, it happens t' be right," he taunted. "How much _cash_ do ya have?"

"Cash?" She looked over helplessly to her husband. "On such short notice we could cough up a half a million–but if yah give us more time..."

"No deal," he responded indifferently. "I'm gettin' better offers."

"But Remy..."

_-**Click**-_

"Gambit?" She asked and waited for a response even though she heard a dial tone. "Gambit!"

She looked up at everyone in the room in disbelief. "He hung up."

Morph stopped typing as he looked over at Bobby who shook his head, before informing the entire team, "And we weren't able to track his call–too much static."

**(later on in the master bedroom)**

Eric entered the room and noticed his wife standing alone. Clearly, he knew she wasn't taking the lack of good news regarding Charlie well...and neither was he.

He approached her from behind, placing his strong hands on around her trembling body and noticed how quickly she stiffened in response.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a deep voice filled with concern.

She shuttered, not out of weakness, but of the need to shake him off of her. She didn't want to be touched–not right now–not by him. Rogue stepped forward, causing him to release her from his embrace. "Ah jus' been thinkin', is all."

Her words seemed simple enough, but he knew there was more she was holding back. "And?"

"And," she repeated, turning to face him, "Ah've been goin' over everythang Remy told meh when he was here."

He clenched his teeth, sensing his wife was in the beginning stages of setting up a confrontation. He had observed her in such a stance many times before; however, this was the first time he found himself on the receiving end. "Really? Do tell."

She combed her hair behind her ears with her fingers. "He said yah knew he had the power tah touch meh without meh absorbin' him, but yah jus' kept that information tah yahrself." Before he had a chance to deny the charges–she knew he would–she continued on, "And tah prove it...he touched meh."

It was a split second from her last word to him losing his mind.

A rush of anger and terror took over his body as he grabbed her by both arms and pulled her toward him, his eyes scanning over the length of her body. "What did he do to you!" He demanded to know, not sure if he could live with the answer. He thought the possibility of losing Charlie was the only thing he couldn't live with, but the thought of his former friend touching his wife, kissing her lips, sucking her...

"Nothin', _nothin_' happened," she answered wincing at the pain he was unknowingly inflicting on her. "Eric, yah're hurtin' meh," she whispered.

He let her go, walking away from her, stopping to lean on the dresser to regain control of his emotions.

"Gambit only touched mah bare back before he drugged meh. When Ah woke up, nothin' was out of place...he didn't _rape_ meh," she reassured him.

He heard her, but wasn't sure if he was ready to believe her. _It wouldn't be rape if she was a willing participant._

_Ah love him for how much he loves meh, but hate how Ah now have tah console him at a time when Ah wan' some answers–and so, Ah won't. _"Yah were his _best_ friend, Eric," she pressed on, forcing a confrontation.

His back was still to her, choosing not to give her any amo for an argument.

"Ah still can't, for the life of meh, understand why Gambit would steal Charlie." Her voice lowered, "But if what he says is true, he has every reason tah _hate_ yah."

Eric dropped his head, too ashamed to look at her, upset with the thought that because of him, their son was in danger._ I don't know what I would do if anything happened to Charlie–if I lose her love because of it..._

He felt a loving hand on his shoulder, slowly rubbing his back. He turned to face her waiting arms as he held onto her. Burying his head into her neck, he pledged, "I would give my _life_ to have Charlie returned home."

"That's really nobel of yah, sugah," she whispered into his ear, "But Ah'd prefer tah have yah _both_ home."

**(at the motel)**

It was a bad decision. A mistake on her part, she knows it now, only now it was too late. She just wanted to take a quick peak at him, he was so quiet she naturally assumed he was sleeping–she was wrong. Now, she had to deal with the consequences.

"Where's mah uncle!" Charlie screamed for what seemed to Jean to be the hundredth time.

"Baby, I told you he will be back soon," Jean repeated again as she tried to hush him. She wanted to pick him up to comfort him, but he wouldn't allow her.

"Ah'm not a baby, mamah says Ah'm a big boy!" He pouted angrily. "That's why daddy says, Ah have tah sleep in mah own bed." Soon his anger dissipated, when he remembered he was in the middle of a crying fit. "Ah want mah uncle Gambit!" He yelled again, tears streaming down his face into his newly bought teddy bear. "Where is he!" He screamed.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! _She searched the room with her eyes, looking for anything to entertain the boy. She tried calming him down by offering to play with the toys she had brought for him, but he wasn't having any part of it.

Charlie had been crying bloody murder for over 15 minutes and refused to go back in the bedroom._ I'm going to be in **deep** shit if Remy sees me talking to him. This kid is a nightmare! Maybe I should consider myself lucky I can't give birth to one of these brats. _Her eyes finally rested on her purse, just as Charlie threw himself to the ground and pounded the floor.

_Bingo!_ She rushed over to her purse digging through it profusely. "Do you want some gum?" She asked, retrieving the package and holding it out to tempt him.

One of his tightly closed eyes opened, peaking over at Jean. "Ah love bubble gum," he said, his crying long ago forgotten. He quickly sat up and crossed his legs.

Jean read over the glossy label. "It looks like you'll have to settle for sugar-free gum." She noticed him beginning to pout. "Hey, beggars can't be choosers."

Charlie stared at her outstretched hand, wanting to take what was being offered, but knowing he was doing something wrong. "Ah not suppose tah take candy from strangers," he mumbled sadly.

For some reason his comment offended her. "You're mother is just trying to keep you safe from scary bad guys." She smiled at him. "Do I look like a scary bad guy?"

Charlie laughed shaking his head. "No, silly!" He swiped the gum from her hand.

_Kids can so easy. _Jean pinched his deliciously rosy cheeks. "You are the _cutest_ thing ever!"

Popping the gum in his mouth, he shuffled over to her lap and rested his head against her chest. "Ah lahk yah."

"Ohhh!" She could cry from his sweetness. "I like you too."

The room to the motel burst open as Remy passed on through. As soon as Charlie saw his face, he again started crying.

"Uncle, where did yah go!" He cried, running toward Remy, stopping only to grab hold of his knee.

The Thief had long ago stopped in his tracks, his eyes zeroing on Jean's scared expression. _Yeah, she knows she's fucked._

He bent down on one knee looking Charlie straight in the eyes. "Ya go take your bear and have a seat over dere," he said pointing to a small couch in the corner. "And I don't wan' t' hear a peep out of ya, or I'm goin' t' lock ya back in dat room. Got it?"

As if to show he truly understood Remy, he responded with a nod of his head and sat on the sofa. Really, he was just happy not to have been sent to his room.

Remy again focused on Jean, someone who clearly didn't follow orders. He took a couple of steps to her as she backed up, only stopping because she found herself pressed against the wall with no way of an escape.

Before he could say anything, she said, "Listen, I can explain." Jean swallowed hard, before she rambled, "I thought he was sleeping and I wanted to see his face and I know that I shouldn't have done it, but he was up and when he saw me he started crying. How could I close the door on him when he was crying?" She asked rhetorically, as Remy listened, seeming to contemplate her excuse. "So I took him out of the room and finally calmed him down and then you walked in and you know the rest..." Her voice trailed off as she looked into his eyes...and read his thoughts...she never could years before...and now she was listening to his internaldebate and...

"You're actually considering _offing_ me! She asked with outrage.

He was taken back by her words, forgetting that killing a telepath would have to have been done quickly and he already let too much time pass, allowing her ample time to defend herself.

"What do ya expect?" He yelled back. "Ya're puttin' de entire plan in jeopardy. Dere are _two_ people especially dat I didn't wan' t' have any connection wit' de boy: Ya and Jubilee. Two people who I _know_ would become a sucker for a cute face." He ran his fingers through his hair, "I jus' found out dat Jubliee's been captured by de X-Men and who knows what de hell she is tellin' dem."

"What could she know?"

"I didn't t'ink she knew anythin', but den I remembered almost a week ago when I was talkin' t' ya on de phone. After I hung up, I noticed she was in de room..."

_That was when we were finalizing our plans in regards to the boy._ "Even _if_ they know you are meeting up with me, they _won't_ know where to find us. I've been using my telepathy overtime making sure my image was erased from every person I came into contact with here in _Louisbourg_." With satisfaction, she added, "I'm pretty much _dead_ to the world. Not even the clerk at the front of _Motel_ 6 recognizes me and I've spoken to him _five_ times already." Getting back to her near murder at the hands of her partner in crime, she added, "And if you killed me, who else would preform your surgery?"

"Dat's de _only_ reason ya're still alive." Pointing his finger, inches from her nose, he warned, "If ya do happen t' come in contact wit' de X-Men, ya keep ya're mout' shut."

"Don't you dare threaten me...or I'll erase your mind in an instant."

His eyes flashed as his fingers twitched, the tips glowing. "How fast can ya shut down my mind before one of my charged object cuts into ya..."

They were dangerously close to each other, both waited for the other to make the first move when a tiny cough brought them back to reality.

Simultaneously they looked over to the corner of the room where Charlie's eyes were glued to them soaking up everything like a sponge.

"Hey, kid," Remy said, wanting to ease the scared look from the boy's face. "Tell your auntie Jeanie g'night."

He was too scared to protest being called kid again and instead whispered, "Goodnight auntie Jeanie."

That was her cue to exit. "Fine I'm _leaving_," she whispered softly, now that she realize the boy was listening to their conversation. "And I'm glad. That child is a Saint when he is good and a devil when he's bad. I'm surprised at how well you have managed with him. He was crying nonstop with me, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown." Looking over his head, she called out, "Goodnight, cutey."

She then nodded to her soon to be patient, having calm down some. "_You_ are the reason why I breath today. _Never_ doubt my loyalty to you over that of Magneto or Rogue," She said sincerely.

"Time will tell."

She squeeze his hand. "See you later, Remy."

He gave her a peck on the cheek, only because he knew she wouldn't allow him to kiss her elsewhere and opened the door for her to leave.

He closed the door behind her, leaning against it to take a deep breath. _Calm down, Remy, it's almos' over,_ he thought to himself with his eyes closed. His thoughts came to a halt at the sound of giggles.

_I can't get any peace wit' dis damn kid! _He opened his eyes, curious as to why Charlie was laughing–this time. "What's so funny?"

"Auntie Jeanie said, 'See yah later, Remy'." He continued to giggle, finding Jean to be really funny all of a sudden. "She called yah _Remy_."

_Da kid doesn't know I have two names. _He rolled his eyes as he took a seat next to the boy. "Ya know how sometimes people call your dad Eric and other times they call him Magneto."

He furrowed his brows as he listened intently, nodding his head. "Uh-huh."

"Well, Remy's my _other_ name–my _real_ name."

His mouth open wide with an over exaggerated expression of shock. "Yahr name's lahk _mah_ name."

He was barely paying attention. "What?"

Charlie thought hard to what his father had explained repeatedly to him through the years as he grew older. "My name is Charles–Charles _Remy_ Lensherr. My papah named me after his bestest friend in the _whole_ world."

_Charles Remy huh?_ He raised an intrigued brow. He reflected on the first night Charlie told him his first name only and remembered finding it interesting that Eric named his second son after only _one_ man that saved his life. _I guess I was wrong. Eric did name him after the guy who saved his life–**both** guys._

"Ah can spell mah name, see, C-H-A..."

"Shoot me now," he mumbled seriously. He picked the boy up as he continued to go through every letter of all his name and entered the bedroom. "It's time for bed."

Charlie climbed happily on the bed and got underneath the covers.

Remy was pleased with himself. _Dat was easy enough... _He felt troubled, _A li'l too easy._

And sure enough, Charlie asked, "Can yah tell meh a story?"

_And here we go. _"Nope!"

"But mamah _always_ tells meh a story for bed time."

_Fuckin' Rogue has t' make t'ings harder on me._ "I'm _not_ your mama."

"Please!" He begged, readying himself to start crying if need be. "Ah wanna story!"

"Fine!" he relented, roughly tucking the boy back underneath the covers, though Charlie remained smiling with satisfaction. "I'll tell ya a story, but it's a _short_ one and ya have t' promise t' go t' sleep when it's done."

"Promise!"

"Okay." He already knew the story he was going to tell. It was a story that use to play over and over again in his mind–so much so at times it was quite maddening. Although he hasn't thought much about the story in some months, it was still easy to repeat with the same beginning and same ending. "Once upon a time, dere was a boy who was offered a place t' stay for a few months by a man. De boy and de man became de best of friends and soon dey became inseparable. One day de boy met de man's friend, a beautiful girl, she was everyt'ing de boy ever wanted in his life."

"Ooooo," Charlie cooed, giggling. "He loved her."

"Yeah, I tell ya, da boy was in love, but de man became jealous."

"Why?" He asked wide-eyed.

" 'Cause his two closet friends started t' spend more time t'gether _wit'out_ him–dat made him mad. Never mind de fact dat de man _also_ loved de girl."

Charlie shook his head. "But the _boy's_ in love with the girl."

"I know. De man den started t' send de boy away days at a time t' do some jobs. Den one day when de man sent de boy out on a mission dat ended up takin' a _really_ long time t' complete, close t' a month. By de time de boy returned, de girl was in love wit' de _man_."

"Nooo! That's not fair," he stated, slamming his tiny fist on the bed. "What happened tah the boy?"

"De boy became really sad and left de big house wit' his head hung low, lickin' his wounds." He lowered his head to the boy and whispered, "Wan' t' know a secret?"

He nodded his head vigorously.

"De boy in de story...is me."

Charlie sat up in the bed. "Well, then who is the man?"

"De man?" His lips curled into a smile. "De man is..."

"...a fuckin' asshole." they both said in unison.

It took Remy off guard, realizing that Charlie had already caught on to his favorite curse phrase. He shook his finger sternly. "Watch your mout'." Still he couldn't stop the grin from reappearing. "But ya're right." He ruffled the boy's white hair as he settled back down into bed.

"Time t' go t' sleep." _But I wonder why he was cryin' so hard when I left him wit' Jean. He never acted dat bad wit' me–and Jean, she's so...gentle._ "So why were ya givin' Jeanie a hard time?"

"Ah'm not suppose tah talk tah strangers–mamah says, and yah said too!"

"Yeah, but ya talked t' me. I'm a stranger."

He shook his head as he let out a big yawn. "Ah know yah, Red Eyed Man."

_Dat's de same name he called me when he first saw my eyes. _He became suspicious "How do ya know me?"

"Yah're gonna take meh back tah mamah...mamah _knows_ yah. Ah saw your picture–she was smilin'–yah were holdin' hands–yah were happy...Ah _found_ the picture." Charlie couldn't keep his eyelids open any longer. "Shh–don't tell daddy, mamah says." He closed his eyes.

Remy watched as the boy drifted deeper into sleep. This was a boy who he recently discovered had his name, a boy who revealed his one love still secretly carried his picture...

And yet, he felt nothing...nothing at all.

**(an hour later)**

Remy stood in the small living room of the motel shuffling a deck of cards in his hands. He had been driving on the roads nonstop for hours, wide awake for hours more, and everything was starting to catch up to him. He was sleepy, but he could not go to sleep–his present situation forbade it.

_I got t' stay up and make sure everyt'ing will go_... he was too tired to even finish the thought.

He sat down on the window ledge, his eyes closing as he leaned back. _Maybe I can jus' close my eyes for one..._" he started to drift into sleep when...

"Eck!"

Remy's eyes popped open as he jumped up almost dropping the cards that were in his hands and ran toward the bedroom door and kicked it open.

There he saw Charlie on the bed, his eyes wide as he clutched his bear and sucked his thumb.

Remy began to calm down realizing the boy wasn't in any immediate danger. "What's wrong?" He asked, still standing by the door.

Taking his thumb out of his mouth, he wined, "Ah woke up and didn't see yah."

"I was jus' out dere," he said, pointing behind him to the living room. "Now, go back t' bed."

"Uh-uh." He shook his head adamantly. "Ah can't."

_For de love of..._ "Why not?"

Charlie motioned for Remy to come closer to him with his finger and waited as Remy reluctantly approached him, kneeling on the side of the bed. The boy cupped his hand over his uncle's ear and whispered, "There's a monster in mah closet."

He pulled away from him, making eye contact. "Ya're kiddin' me right?"

Charlie shook his head, showing that he was serious. "He wants tah eat meh 'cause Ah'm tasty."

Remy decided to humor him. "He's in dat closet, ya say?" He watched as the boy confirmed his question with a head shake and got up to walk toward the sliding door. Looking back at Charlie, he placed his index finger on his lips, "Shhhhh."

Charlie pulled the cover up to his nose, too scared to look and too scared _not_ to look. He watched as Remy took a card from his jacket and was memorized by the sudden glow of the object. Swiftly, he slid open the door and disappeared, sliding it closed behind him.

Charlie listened as he heard banging noises and muffled voices from behind the door ...and then there was nothing.

"Uncle?" He whispered beneath the covers.

There was no answer.

"Uncle?" He called out louder than before.

"Uncle!" He yelled.

Remy slid open the door and stepped out, causing Charlie to jump in surprise. He dusted his hands together, signifying a job completed.

"What happened?"

"Well the monster tried t' fight me when I went in. But den after we got t' talkin'. I ain't goin' t' lie t' ya..." He paused momentarily, before he finally confessed the grim reality, "The monster _did_ wan' t' eat ya."

He slapped his hands on his cheeks. "Oh no!"

"But don't worry, I told him ya were _too_ salty, and as anyone knows, once a piece of meat is too salty, dere ain't much ya can do wit' it."

He leaped up and wrapped his arms tightly around Remy's neck. "Thank yah, uncle! Yah're the bestest!"

"I know, I know." He wrangled the child from his neck and helped him back under the covers. "Now go back t' bed."

Because he noticed Remy take out a card when he went into the closet, he reached for one of Remy's jacket pocket. "Let's play cards!"

"I don't t'ink so." Just to show off, he took a deck out and began shuffling, flipping the cards into and over each other as Charlie watched in amazement.

"Can I try?" He held out his tiny hands. "Pietro never lets meh shuffle.

"Your hands are too small." He said regretfully. "Maybe in a couple of years."

"Then will Ah be good lahk yah?"

"Dat _ain't_ never goin' t' happen." He gave the boy a wink as placed the cards back in his pocket. "It's in de genes."

He folded his hands and pouted. _That's not fair!_

"What's dat in your ear?"

Charlie focused back on the man who seemed to have a twinkle in his eye. "Huh?"

"Right here." He reached for Charlie's ear and pulled out a quarter.

"Woooow." His small mouth opened wide in awe. "Do it again!"

He flicked the boy's forehead playfully with his finger. "Go t' bed."

"Ah'm not tired anymore."

"How can ya _not_ be tired?" He asked as he rested his back against one of the pillows. "I can _barely_ keep my eyes open."

"It's yah're bedtime." Charlie took the end of the comforter and threw it over Remy's legs.

"I ain't goin' t' sleep."

"But yah're sleepy." He placed his hand on Remy's face, touching one of his eyelids. "Mamah says yah hafta go tah bed when yah're sleepy."

"I ain't..." his words were interrupted by a yawn, "sl–ee–py."

Charlie got up on his knees and patted Remy's chest the way his mother did when she was putting him to bed. "Ah'll sing the _Sleepy_ _Time_ song, mamah sings tah meh."

Remy was too tired to even protest.

The boy continued to rub Remy's chest and began to sing his lullaby in a soft girlish voice:

_(1)"Its sleepy time, It's sleepy time_

_It's time tah close your eyes_

_And drift away tah dreamy land _

_Up there in the blue sky_

_So forget about all the things_

_That yah would like tah do_

_But never forget Ah am here_

_And always will love yah..."_

"Uncle?" Charlie called out to the unmoving man. "Uncle?" He leaned in on the sleeping man and listened as the thief breathed in and out at a steady pace. He giggled softly to himself. "Yah said yah _weren't_ sleepy."

Using his _tiny_ hands, he easily reached into one of Remy's many pockets, hitting the jackpot when he found a cell phone. He quietly crawled out of the bed and walked into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

When he was about to open the cell, it started to ring on its own. Charlie opened the phone and put it to his ear, waiting and listening.

"Gambit?" A strong voice called out. "I know ya're dere, I can hear ya breathin'. Gambit?"

"Shhh," Charlie whispered. "Uncle Gambit is sleepin'."

_Gambit is not an uncle._ "Who is dis?" The voice demanded to know.

"Ah'm not suppose tah talk tah strangers, uncle says."

"Well, I'm not a stranger, I'm your uncle Gambit's father. Jean-Luc."

Charlie chuckled remembering the story Remy told him while they were in the car, after he bought the motor oil. "Uncle said yah beat him everyday tah make him good."

"Dat is true, but he hasn't been too good lately. I still t'ink he needs some more beatings."

"Uh-huh," he agreed, nodding his head. "Uncle has a potty mouth. Ah told him that mamah's gonna wash his mouth out with soap and papah is gonna shake his finger at him and say..."

"Who's your papa?"

"My papah?"

"Yeah, what's his name?" Dumbing down his question, he asked, "What do _big_ people call him."

It didn't take long for him to reply, "Eric."

_I don't know anyone dat Gambit knows name Eric. Who is dis child dat Remy is lookin' after?_ "Eric?"

"Uh-huh." Reflecting on his earlier bedtime conversation with Remy, he remembered his dad had _two_ names. "But when mah dad has on his helmet, big people call him Magneeeto."

_Bingo_!

"He's a hero and mah brother and mah mother..."

Jean-Luc was foaming at the mouth. "Where are ya now?" He asked, jumping on the unexpected opportunity that was before him. "I want t' visit my son, I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Ummm," he said, trying to remember Remy and Jean's conversation. "Auntie Jeanie said, Louisbourg, Motel 6."

_I know exactly were Gambit is tryin' t' stash dis child dat's wort' a boatload of money. _"See ya soon, my boy."

-**_Click_**-

There was a dial tone and Charlie was sad. He wanted to talk longer to his uncle's father, but soon realized with the phone in his hand, he could talk to whoever he wanted. He remembered his home phone number, his mom drilled it into his memory in the tune of a song.

Singing in a tune that his mom taught him, he began dialing the ten digit phone number that lead into the mansion line.

"Gambit! Gambit!"

His face brightened at the sound of his mother. "Mamah!"

"Charlie?" Rogue had the earpiece in and was shocked to hear her son, not believing it was true. "Charlie is that yah?"

"Uh-huh," he answered, smiling happily. "Ah'm havin' fun mamah."

"Oh, honey!" She exclaimed as Bobby made it so Charlie's voice could be heard by the entire team. Rogue made eye contact with Eric, who stepped beside her, rubbing her back.

The X-Men began to give each other high-fives, excited to have finally made contact with the young boy.

Eric gave a knowing nod to Morph who quickly wiped the smile from off his face and began to type on the keyboard.

"Where's Gambit?" Rogue asked, her happiness suddenly replaced by fear.

"He's sleepin'. Wan' meh tah wake him up?"

"**No!**" The entire team yelled at the same time.

"Where are yah now?"

"Ah'm in the washroom."

She was relived, but only slightly. "Stay in the washroom with mamah and don't move, okay?"

"Okay."

"Are yah doin' all right?"

"Yeah. Uncle Gambit is funny." He sighed into the phone, suddenly not satisfied with only the sound of his mother's voice. "Are yah comin' tah get meh soon?"

"Yes, sweetie. Ah'm comin' soon."

"Ah miss yah."

She wanted to cry, but remained strong for his sake. "Baby, Ah miss yah too." Still she didn't want her little boy to be worried. _Yes, he's in grave danger, but he doesn't need tah know it._ "But Ah wan' yah tah have a good time on your trip with your uncle."

"Yes, mamah, Ah will..." the phone was taken from his hand. Charlie spun around to see Remy behind him.

-**_Click_**-

The boy twisted his finger in his shirt, knowing he was caught doing something he probably wasn't suppose to be doing.

With the phone turned off, Remy slid it back into his pocket. Standing tall over Charlie, he spoke calmly, but firmly, "Shouldn't ya be in bed?"

"Yes," he replied sadly, lowering his head to the floor.

_I walked into de bathroom as I heard him say 'mama'. _"What did your mother say?"

He lifted his head high, returning to happier spirits. "She's comin' tah get meh soon."

_Shit!_ "Really?"

"Yes." His smile growing wider, he added, "And yah're papah is comin' too."

_Fuck_! _Jus' when I t'ought t'ings couldn't get any worse._

"He says he's gonna beat yah," Charlie informed him, as Remy reached for his hand and lead him out the washroom. "Yahr daddy, Jean-Luc, is so funny!"

"Yeah," he muttered in agreement, then added sarcastically, "he's fuckin' hilarious."

**(back at the X-Men base)**

Eric leaned over the console as Morph typed feverishly on the computer. "How's it coming along?"

He paused to look up at his leader. "Only a couple more seconds. I'm waiting for the computer to load the info."

"We don't have a couple of seconds..."

"It's up," he stated as he read over the specific location of the cell phone Charlie called them on.

Rogue rushed over to the computer screen. "Where's Charlie?"

Morph looked at the map of the United States and kept on hitting the zoom button until he got a lock on the signal. "He's in Ohio State, Louisbourg, the intersection between Main and Jackson Street at the Motel 6," He held a finger in the air, signaling for them to wait. Pressing the keyboard one more time, he leaned back into his chair with his hands on the back of his head and added smugly, "Room number 3."

She gave his shoulders a tight squeeze. "If Ah could, Ah would kiss yah!"

He gave an awe shucks look. "Well, it's the thought that counts."

Bobby looked up from his computer screen which had just received a bulletin. "And it looks like the no fly zone issued by the government has been canceled."

_Perfect! _Rogue turned around to the rest of the team. "Blink, Iceman and Nightcrawler we are headin' out," she ordered as she headed toward the door.

The three X-Men remained as they stood, receiving a deadly glare from Eric.

Not hearing any foot steps behind her, she stopped in her tracks. Still facing the closed door, she called out, "Yah can't stop meh from goin', Eric."

He walked up behind her, not wanting the rest of the team to hear their bickering.

"_I_ will go..."

"Why won't yah let meh do this!" She yelled angrily at him.

"I think it's best I handle..."

"No, it best _Ah_ go," she said, wanting him to listen to reason. "Ah have a much better chance at handling Remy than yah...and if Jean is with him like the young girl told us she is...seein' yah will only anger her," she whispered desperately.

_She is making good points._ But still some part of him didn't want her to leave–didn't want her near Remy. "And what would you do? If he asks for you in exchange for Charlie."

She couldn't answer him. "What answer can Ah give yah that will make yah let meh go?"

He placed his hand on her face, at first stroking it gently, and then he held onto it tightly as he urged her, "Just promise you will come back to me."

"Ah promise."

He kissed her desperately on the lips with the thought she would _never_ be in his arms again, and yet as if willing to accept fate, he reluctantly let her go. "I _love_ you."

"Ah love yah more."

_Impossible_. "Be safe."

She bit her lip, not wanting to be a liar; still, she replied, "Always."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(1) Sleepy Time lyrics by, yours truly ;op

**Note:** Psst... This is my favorite out of all my stories even though it's not as popular. All your encouraging reviews give me a good excuse to keep up with the writing, so keep 'em coming.

This chapter might have been kind of iffy (with all the back story and stuff), but I _promise_ you, you won't want to miss the next part...

**Next Time:** Remy makes other plans as Rogue continues the search for her son.


	6. The Exchange

**Note:** Please excuse my lateness.

This was by far the hardest chapter to write because of one crucial scene I had in mind the day I sat down and wrote the prologue. I wrote everything in the past as a build up to this chapter, so I hope it turned out as I intended it to.

Special thanks to **Randirogue **who wondered about the motivation of one of the characters which lead me to an angle I would not have picked up on ;o)

**Stolen**

**Chapter 5**

**The Exchange**

Rogue took a deep breath as she stood outside room number 3 of the single story Motel 6. Her body was shaking as she desperately tried to calm her nerves. Her son and her ex-lover/new enemy would be behind the motel door and she quickly mulled over how far she was willing to go to get Charlie back safe and sound.

A replay of her husband's words to her danced through her mind. '_And what would you do? If he asks for you in exchange of Charlie?'_ She closed her eyes saying a silent prayer in hopes it would never come down to that, though she knew Remy was not above toying with her in such a way.

A gust of wind passed by her, spraying her hair in her face. She took a quick glance behind into the dark night. Besides the scattered trees and the cars that zoomed across the freeway in the distance, she saw nothing, but knew she was not alone. Giving a firm nod of her head to a team she could not see, she puffed out her chest and kicked open the door.

Rogue barged into the room stopping short when she saw Jean sitting in a chair a couple of feet from the door as if she had been expecting an invasion.

"Where is he!" Rogue demanded as the redhead sat perfectly still. "Where's mah son!"

Jean remained poised, preferring to stay silent while Rogue became infuriated. She watched as the frantic mother stormed into the bedroom and listened to the sounds of objects being thrown to the floor and banged against the wall. She waited patiently for Rogue to reemerge from the bedroom and watched as she headed straight toward the only other closed door which contained the bathroom.

Through the loud noises echoing through the room, Jean imagined Rogue violently pushing aside the shower curtain and mentally pictured Rogue's moment of optimism turn to sadness at the realization her son was not hidden in the bathtub.

Rogue popped out the bathroom looking feverishly around the small living area, not yet ready to give up.

Jean stood up expressionless and crossed her arms. "I've been waiting for you."

She barely heard Jean as she pushed her aside still in search.

"It's useless, Rogue." There was no point in searching. Every corner she checked or furniture she looked under was in vain. "Your son is gone."

Her words pierced Rogue's heart. She stood motionless for the first time since she entered the Motel room, willing to accept the fact Charlie was nowhere to be seen. She spun around to face Jean, her worried face begging for answers.

Hearing her silent plea, Jean confessed, "Gambit figured you were getting close to finding his location, so he took the boy and split."

Rogue approached her, grabbing onto her arms and pulling her forward. "Where did they go?"

She shook herself free from Rogue's grasp. "It's nice to see you too."

She clenched her teeth and spoke with an urgent tone, "Jean, mah _son_ has been kidnaped, so _excuse_ meh if Ah don't wan' tah take a moment tah reminisce on old times."

"_Old_ times?" Jean managed to laugh out her disbelief. "Interesting choice of words for you to say. I would have said '_difficult_ times' or '_torturous_ times'..."

"Yes, Jean, Ah _remember_!" Rogue cut in as she threw her hands up in the air. "Yah were captured by the enemy, Magneto left yah tah yahr own demise. Yah were beaten in captivity so badly yah lost any chance of ever bearin' a child." The power that was in her voice began to fade as she spoke on, "A few of The X-Men lead by Gambit disobeyed direct orders from Eric and rescued yah and _yah've_ held _him_ responsible ever since."

Jean was slightly impressed by Rogue's retelling of her history. "I guess you _do_ remember."

"But yah seem tah forget Ah had _nothin'_ tah do with it. Yah're angry with Eric, _not_ meh."

Jean became enraged and snapped, "I _know_ who I'm angry with."

"Then why am _Ah_ bein' punished?"

"Guilty by association," sheanswered casually with a shrug. "You should have never married the bastard. Now _his_ son has to pay for his past sins."

Rogue looked over her former teammate who seemed to be so filled with so much resentment. And even through all the frustration and hate, she knew Jean's feelings where a front and that the loving woman she had known in the past was lurking deep within. "Jean, no matter how tough yah are tryin' tah act now, there is _no_ way yah can convince meh yah're so heartless." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "He's only _four_ years old. He's never been away from home. He mus' be scared out of his mind."

"He's doing pretty well considering," she replied matter of factly. "I've been in his mind. He _isn't_ scared. He's become sort of attached to Remy and they seem to be doing well together."

"Please, Jean. Ah'm _beggin'_ yah. Yah mus' know that there are many people who would love gettin' their hands on mah son, _Eric's_ son." In a last ditch effort, she grabbed Jean's hand and looked her deep in the eyes. "_Help_ meh find him."

She shook her head. "You're wrong in assuming I have any knowledge of where the boy is. Gambit is _way_ too smart to confide in me and I owe him too much to deliberately search his mind."

_Bullshit!_ Her eyes did not waver. "Are yah lyin' tah meh?"

"No," a new voice added, "she isn't."

Rogue let go of Jean's hands as they both turned towards the door to see Betsy standing with two fingers on either side of her head.

She then placed her hands at her side still in deep concentration. "At least not as far as I can tell." Betsy could feel a force preventing her from moving any deeper into Jean's mind. "Though I do detect some kind of mental block. It's as if she has a temporary wall in her mind to prevent her from letting any relevant information slip."

Jean instinctively put up her mental shields as she examined the purple haired Asian. She sized up the other mutant, having seen so few telepaths in her lifetime--wanting to make sure she was still the most powerful. She raised a brow. "You must be a telepath."

"Actually, I'm more of a telekinetic that dabbles in telepathy from time to time..."

"Psylocke, put a lid on it," Rogue snapped, unwilling to hear anymore of Betsy's rambling about her mutation. She slumped down on a worn out sofa completely exhausted. "Ah was so _sure_ mah baby would be here."

"He isn't." Even though Jean had felt the same kind of lost in the past which made her come to hate Eric, she still could not help but ache for Rogue. Lowering down on one knee, she placed a hand on Rogue's thigh. "I'm sorry."

She looked down at her.

Taking hold of her hand and gving it a small squeeze, Jean added remorsefully, "I _truly_ am."

**(on the jet)**

The Thief was standing directly beside a man with dark shoulder length stringy hair and a patch over his right eye–the man also happened to be piloting the jet. Remy stared out the window into the dark sky, finally able to see the end of his journey in sight.

_Can't believe my luck!_ His jittery fingers continually tapped over top the pilot's headrest. _Soon as I realized dat Charlie had contacted both de X-Men and my father, de government dropped de no fly zone and I was able t' get de guys t' send me de plane. _

He could feel Charlie still sitting next to him, the boy's side brushing against his foot from time to time._ At least he finally stopped hangin' on t' my leg._

Leaning forward, positioning himself closer to the one in charge, he asked, "Scalp, are we almost dere yet?"

Scalphunter brushed Remy away with one hand and did not bother to look away from the controls when he answered, "That's the _seventh_ time ya asked that question."

Blockbuster added, "You're gettin' to be _more_ annoyin' than the kid."

"Mah name is _Charlie_," the frustrated boy wined to the very large muscular man. He had long ago gotten over the thrill of being high above the clouds and had started to become anxious. He did not know where he was going and he was worried his mother would have trouble finding him.

Blockbuster leered at the boy. "No one gives a _shit_ what yer name is."

Charlie crinkled his nose, his fingers curling into a fist. "Yah're a _meanie_!"

Remy observed the impending situation with concern as Charlie stormed away from the big bully and sat against the side of the plane hugging his knees. Blockbuster had been taking verbal jabs at the boy the entire trip, so much so Remy could not bite his tongue any longer. Lowering his voice, he said, "Hey, take it easy on him."

"What? Am I upsettin' your lil' boyfriend?" Blockbuster taunted. For a split second, his expression changed as if Remy were suddenly a different person–the man he _first_ met years ago. "After all these months ya now give a shit about someone other than yourself?"

Remy shook his head with a chuckle, squashing any notion he had suddenly grown a conscience. "I'm warnin' ya for my own sanity. Ya don't know how brutal de kid can get once ya get him started."

The muscular man snickered. "Nope, you're still the same bastard."

Remy looked back over his shoulder at Charlie to make sure he had not move from the same spot.

The boy caught his eye and stood up to walk over to him. "Why did we leave?" He asked wide eyed. "Mamah said she was comin' for meh and now she won't know where tah find meh."

_Oh Shit, his lips are startin' t' tremble._ "Don't ya start wit' de waterworks," he warned, shaking his finger. "I'm takin' ya home t' your mother now."

"Yah are!"

"Yup."

"Yay!" He was soon going to be home–soon to be reunited with his family and although he enjoyed his time in the outside world with his uncle Remy, he really could not wait to fall asleep curled up with his favorite blue blankie in his own bed.

"Now go sit and be quiet," he ordered, pointing with his chin to the back corner of the plane. He watched until the boy happily made his way to the back, annoyingly asking for a high-five from each hooligan he passed on his way down the aisle. Remy focused back on Scalphunter, his mind already thinking two steps ahead toward the next stage of his plan. "So de big guy is all set up? " He inquired. "Did he make contact yet?"

"Ya know, ya ask way too many questions for your own good." He cracked a smile. "Just go sit and be quiet," he added, mocking what Remy had said to Charlie. "You'll find out what you need to soon enough."

_I don't like de sound of dat._ "Whatever ya say," he answered, in no way giving away that he was getting suspicious. _Instead of t'inkin' two steps ahead, I should of been t'inkin' five steps ahead. _

The thief made his way to the back of the plane trying to get as far away from the men as possible. He took out his cell phone and began dialing an old number from memory. He listened as the phone rang and when the person answered, he was about to speak freely when he noticed how intensely Charlie was staring at him. He turned his back to the boy and began speaking in his native tongue.

The conversation lasted less then a minute when Remy flipped his phone shut. He spun around and stopped to see Charlie directly in front of him. "What?"

He took hold of the end of Remy's jacket and yanked on it. "Yah said Ah was goin' back tah mamah!"

Shoving the cell into one of his many pockets, he answered, "Yeah, dat's right."

"Fibber!" He yelled. His growing red cheeks and the way he scrunched his brows reminded Remy of the way Rogue would look long ago when he would purposely get too close to her exposed skin. "That's not what yah said on the _phone_!"

Remy quickly looked toward the front of the plane to make certain no one else could hear the high pitch squeal. He grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and yanked him into the washroom. He made Charlie sit on the toilet seat cover. "Ya know _French_?

"Yes," he answered with his arms tightly folded.

He bent down on one knee to better examine Charlie. "_How_ do ya know French?"

His right left leg was shaking. "Mah daddy made mah nanny teach meh."

_Magneto?_ "_French_?" He repeated just to make sure he heard right.

"Yes!"

"But why _French_?" He half expected the boy to answer, _'Mah daddy taught meh french jus' incase yah were ever tah kidnap meh, Ah could eavesdrop on all yah're secret plans.'_

Charlie stopped listening to Remy and stomped his foot in anger. "Ah wanna go back tah mamah!" Tears began to steam down his cheeks.

He threw his hands in the air as the inevitable finally happened. "Here we go!"

**(back at the motel)**

As Jean knelt in front of Rogue, her eyes wandered over to the other telepath. Their eyes connected, though they did not speak.

"Jean?" A new voice called out from behind her, causing her to break her connection with Betsy.

Recognizing the voice, she stood up and spun around with excitement. "Kurt!"

The blue man stood with his hands outstretched as Jean ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him. "It's so good to see you!" He held onto her tightly as she pecked his cheek multiple times. "It's been so long."

"_Too_ long." She backed away from the embrace still holding on to his hands, her joyous face turning into one of deep concern. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great!" Standing up taller, he added, "As you can see, I'm much better compared to ze last time you saw me."

"Yes, yes, you are." She nodded her head vigorously. "As am I."

Betsy watched the unfolding scene not completely sure of what was going on. Sitting down on the arm of the sofa, she asked Rogue, "What's this all about?"

Rogue had not been paying attention to Jean and Kurt's happy reunion, but she did know why they seemed so joyous. "He saved her life." _Yes, it was Gambit who lead the rescue team, but it was Kurt who found her first._ "Blocked her from a blast that almost killed him."

Betsy nodded her head with understanding remembering when she first saw Kurt he was using a cane. "That explains the limp."

"I vant to thank you for helping us vith finding Charlie."

For the first time since he appeared, she could not look him in the eyes. "I didn't help at all." Jean let go of his hands and looked back to Rogue. "I don't know anything."

Kurt shuffled a bit to the left so that he was again in Jean's sight, forcing her to again look at him. "Ze fact that you told us zat much is in itself enough."

"Charlie?" Her smile was bright, reflecting on where the origin of the name came from. "That's the boy's name?"

He nodded his head.

_Charles Xavier was a powerful telepath. The man who first had the dream Eric was left to fulfill._ "Gambit never told me his name."

"I'm not surprised." He responded with a sad smile._ He most likely didn't want Jean to have any kind of emotional connection with Charlie. _"I'm Charlie's godfather. He is at that age where he is a ball of energy. It's not so easy chasing him around ze mansion, but for him I vould do anything. I'm determined to get him back. We _all_ are. Hopefully Gambit vill tire of zis game and bring Charlie home."

"It's not a _game_, Kurt," she corrected him."Yes, I don't know much, but I _do_ know this isn't a game." Turning her attention back to Rogue, she said, "You're too late. There isn't anything else you can do."

"Vhat about you?"

Startled, she turned to him again. "Huh?"

"I've never asked anything of you before, but if zere is anything else you can do..."

She shook her head, not wanting him to complete his sentence. "I don't..."

"If zere is _anything_ else you can do," he interrupted, "vill you do it...for _me?"_

She stared at the man, who without a seconds thought put her life before his own, and she knew she could not dismiss his plea. "If I can...I'll try."

Giving her another hug, he whispered into her ear, "Zat is all I ask."

**(minutes later outside the motel)**

The Assassin/Thieve Guild lay hidden in the darkness and waited as the X-Men exited the motel. They watched the superhero team stagger in the direction of their jet without the zeal they had shown before when the first entered the room.

"Are we waitin' for dem t' take off in deir plane before we enter?" One of the Guild members asked his Master.

"Dere is no point," Jean Luc answered regrettably. "De X-Men did not leave wit' a li'l boy and dey did not leave wit' Remy."

The man understood immediately. "Gambit mus' have figured we were on t' him and took off."

"And by de looks of de X-Men, dey probably don't know where he has gone."

"Should we head back t' de base?"

"We must." The sound of the plane engine starting up caused him to raise his voice, "No use searchin' for Gambit anymore. De trail has gone cold–de lucky bastard."

**(Sinister's layer)**

After a couple of days on the road, Remy finally reached his destination. Although this particular base was new to him, all the faces working diligently in the background of the control room were familiar. It had been years since he first left the Thieves Guild and was picked out by Sinister to do a couple of jobs before moving on to the X-Men. He took the time to acknowledge those who stopped by to pat him on the back and took even more time to flirt with his past flames.

When all of the pleasantries had been exchanged he walked over to the leader. "Will I get de jet when I take de kid back t' his folks?" Remy stood behind Sinister as Charlie payed little attention to his new surroundings, instead he was focused on flying his toy plane around the room.

Even though Sinister was more concerned with the computer screen, he asked, "Oh, Gambit, do I look like a fool?"

Remy looked him over. "Considerin' ya're wearin' a cape and _can't_ fly, I'd have t' answer yes."

Sinister ignored the soft laughter in the background. "I'm not entrusting the boy to you _after_ you've been payed." Tracking his global monitor, he said casually, "The boy will be killed."

"Ya _can't_ be so stupid," Remy responded in disbelief. "De kid's wort' more alive dan _dead_."

"Worth more?" He sounded as if he were insulted. "Unlike you, I am not desperate for cash. I know that if I let you leave with the boy instead of taking him to his mother, you will sell him to whoever else."

Remy accepted his answer. "Ya _do_ know me."

"The boy dies here, along with all other opportunities for you to profit."

_Despite de cape, he is no fool._ "And Magneto?" He asked, trailing behind him. "Will ya tell him?"

"He'll find out about his son's demise when they both meet again in the after life."

_After life?_ "Why Nathaniel, I never knew ya where a religious man."

He shook his head with annoyance, but decided not to comment. Facing the control center, he orderedPrism, "Establish a connection with the X-Men base."

Sinister stood tall in front of the view screen, making sure only he was visible to the person on the other side and waited to be connected.

"They've accepted the connection," Prism informed as he typed away on the computer preparing to open the line of communication. "You're on...now."

Eric's upper body appeared on the screen, his face looking stern. "What is it you want, Sinister? I have no time for any nonsense."

_It seems they still haven't figured out Gambit was heading for my base._ "I believe I have something that belongs to you."

Eric stared impatiently at the screen.

"Hand him over."

He watched closely as Sinister held out his hand waiting to be handed something.

A young voice could be heard off camera screaming, "Eck! The monster."

Sinister frowned with annoyance. "I'm _not_ a monster."

"It'll be okay, Charlie," Remy whispered, trying to calm him.

Eric stood up from the chair as his boy was placed in Sinister's outstretched arms. He was in shock. "My son!"

Charlie turned around to see his father on the computer screen. "Daddy! Ah can see yah!"

He wanted to feel relieved at finally seeing his boy, but he knew Charlie was not yet safe. "Charles, are you okay?"

"Yes, daddy." He paused, seeing his dad only made his heart ache to be reunited with his family. "But Ah think Ah wan' tah come home now. Ah miss yah."

Trying to sound reassuring, he said, "You needed worry, you'll be home soon."

"Perfect," Sinister cut in, interrupting the father-son moment. "Your computer should have picked up our location. You have an hour to collect your son. And you must come alone or _else_." For dramatic effect he traced his index finger along Charlie's little neck.

The boy began to laugh, twisting in the man's arms. "That tickles!"

Sinister rolled his eyes. "Well, you get the point."

**Signal disconnected.**

**(X-Men base)**

No one in the team dared to speak a word, too caught up in their own feelings of helplessness. Not knowing what to do next, Eric flopped back down in his chair. He stared at the blank screen for less than a second, trying togather his thoughts. The fact that Remy brought Charlie to Sinister went totally against what he assumed the thief would do.

_I guess Gambit is taking his vendetta against me to the extreme. _He was troubled more so now that Sinister was in the mix; Sinister could be unpredictable. _Gambit is playing with fire. _Getting up from his seat, he ordered, "Morph, ready the jet."

The mutant immediately jumped up and headed out to the flight hanger.

Pietro stood by his father's side, matching each long step he took. "We can make it to Sinister's base in no time."

"I go alone."

He stopped dead in his tracks. _Is he insane! _"No way! Who knows what the hell they have planned, and as far as you're concerned, it _can't_ be good."

"They have _my_ son," he responded through clenched teeth. "I _can't_ take that risk."

"Why not?" He stood tall, staring into the eyes of the man was like looking 20 or so years into the future. "You've taken that risk before."

_He's talking about the many times he was put in danger for the sake of the mission–the many times he was sent out to put our cause before his life._ "I go _alone_," he repeated emphatically then warned, "Do _not_ tell Rogue where to find me. I don't want her to be dragged into this."

Eric again started walking toward the exit and Pietro knew to follow him. It was a walk they had taken many times before; however, this time the walk seemed longer and the silence was deafening. There was so much Pietro wanted to say, but he could not bring himself to speak.

"While I am gone, I am leaving you in charge of the team."

He nodded weakly. "Yes, sir."

When he reached the door, he stopped and turned back to his firstborn. "And in case I _don't_ make it back..."

He could not let him finish the sentence. "Father..."

"In case I don't make it back," Eric continued over him, "I want you to be there for Rogue and your brother."

Pietro shook his head, refusing to think that would be the last time he would ever see his father again. "Don't talk like that. I could _never_ take your place."

Eric paused, realizing how true his statement was, unfortunately. Still, he responded, "It may be time."

"Then if I have to...I will," he said confidently.

He placed his hands on his Pietro's shoulders. "I know that I haven't always been..."

"Stop...just stop." he didn't like the finality of what his father was going to say–he didn't want to hear him apologize for the way he had lived his life. "You can...you can tell me when you get back."

They did not know who made the first move, only that now they were both in a tight embrace. Pietro tried to remember the last time he hugged his father and determined it was probably at his sister's funeral.

"I love you."

"I love you."

Again, they did not know who said it first–maybe they both said it at the same time. Pietro then turned around heading in the opposite direction, not wanting to cry...not wanting his father to see him shed a tear.

Eric continued alone down the hall toward the jet, each step he took echoing through the tunnel. He stopped at the statue that sat on top of a narrow stand. It was a sculpture of Charles Xavier, his dearest friend and the man who first had the dream of mutants and humans living side by side. He never shared Xavier's dream until the day Xavier shielded him from an assassin–he had no choice but to continue the dream.

Staring at the sculpted face, he thought, _Xavier, sometimes I wonder if your sacrifice was worth it. _He quickly shook the thought from his head. It was too late to play the guessing game. _I lived my life trying to fulfill your vision. I lived my life doing what you would have done. _He traced the outline of the statue, his mind racing with many different things from the past. _If you would have bumped into Ororo as a young child, you would have recruited her and reared her to be part of the X-Men._

_But wouldI have lied to her about her parents being dead?_ A quieter voice asked.

Ignoring the voice, he continued, _If the X-Men were caught up in a losing battle, you would have called for a retreat._

_But during the retreat would I have left Jean Grey in captivity for weeks to fend for herself?_

Trying to silence the other voice, he thought loudly, _I accepted the child of an enemy when she came looking for help, instead of sending the child away. You would have done the same thing._

_However, would I have slept with that same child years later? _The quiet voice wondered.

In a ball of rage, he slammed his fist into the wall, right about his mentor's statue. _Eventually I told 'Ro the truth, Jean was rescued and I married Rogue!_ He answered his own questions trying to justify his actions to himself. Yes, he had made many mistakes in his life, but he was willing to learn from them. Charlie's birth was the catalyst for his rebirth but he knew Charlie's death would be his spiritual death.

Morph ran up to his leader, interrupting his thoughts. "The small jet is ready for us to take off." He noticed the whole in the wall, but thought better then to mention it.

He sighed, hating to have to go through another argument. "I'm going _alone,_ Morph."

"Magneto, we have some kind of idea of what Sinister has in store for you if you go alone."

Messaging his throbbing fist, he answered simply, "I'm willing to take that risk."

"But you don't have too!" He pleaded. "You are our _leader_–without your presence the X-Men will _fall_ apart!" Looking away from him in guilt, Morph stated barely above a whisper, "You always said, no sacrifice was too great."

_He's actually suggesting I leave Charlie to his own demise?_ He had to bite his tongue for a moment to keep from losing his temper. "Every member of my team has chosen to put their lives on the line to better human/mutant relations. Charlie _never_ made that choice–he's in danger because of my–my..." his voice trailed off.

"When Rogue comes back and finds out you are with Sinister she is going go on a tirade." Instantly he transformed into the southern belle and mimicked her accent perfectly, "How the hell could you let Eric go off by himself! Yah'll need tah get slapped up side the head, maybe then yah'll have more sense!"

Any other time he would have laughed at Morph's dead-on impression of his wife. Only now, it brought on great sorrow. "She will survive."

Morph watched as Eric walked toward the jet by himself. "No," he stated sadly, changing back into his regular form, "no, she won't."

**(elsewhere)**

Always liking to keep his hands busy, Remy quickly shuffled his deck of cards as he leaned against the wall looking very cocky. "Ya're lucky I bothered t' bring de kid here," he told Sinister. "I had all kinds of bidders lined up."

He was not impressed. "Then why did you choose me, Lebeau?"

"Ya bid de highest," he responded matter of factly.

The evil looking man was far too worldly to buy into the Thief's half-truths. "That's a lie and you know it. I was your _only_ bidder."

The truth hit Remy so hard, for a split second he stopped flipping the cards. He quietly wondered if anyone else had caught his slight reaction.

"No one else besides me has the power to withstand the X-Men's wrath once they realize their leader is a prisoner."

"Magneto a _prisoner_?" He did not feel it necessary to hide his shock anymore. "I t'ought ya were gonna kill him."

"You want him dead, don't you?"

He remained silent, knowing that if he waited long enough, Sinister would continue on with his theory.

His sharp red eyes darted over to the younger man with a new sense of intrigue. "You're vengeance for him is still that strong."

Remy hated Sinister's impression of himself. It made it seem as if he acted purely on gut instinct instead of the collected person he perceived himself to be. "It's got _not'ing_ t' do wit' vengeance."

_I may have spoken too soon._ "Of course is doesn't," he corrected was a dark grin. "As usual, you don't want to get your _hands_ dirty."

Removing his gloves, he presented his hands to the dark lord. "Look at how delicate dey are in a masculine sort of way. Do ya blame me?"

Sinister stared at him, not cracking a smile. There were times when he could be affected by Remy's charms, but today was not one of those days.

Seeing that Sinister was not in the mood to play along, Remy got serious. _Now down to business._ "So where's my money?"

He turned back to the global graphic on the computer and replied, "You'll get your money...as soon as I get Magneto."

**(one hour later)**

The room was silent. The tension in the air was thick. Fifteen minutes ago Magneto requested to land on the property. Ten minutes ago, Cyclops and Havoc were sent out to escort Eric to the hidden base. Five minutes ago Remy pulled out a cigarette and put it unlit between his lips. One minute ago Sinister ordered for Charlie to be guarded in another room by two of his men.

Everyone stood facing the door with anticipation for the doomed leader of the X-Men. Sinister stepped ahead of his men as the doors slid open. His lips separated as he smiled showing his sharp teeth. The sight of the once Great Magneto with his hands handcuffed behind his back and an activated Genosha collar around his neck, dazzled him to know end.

Cyclops and Havoc stood on either side of Eric, holding on tight to his elbow, leading him forward. The two men stopped walking once they reached the middle of the room, forcing Eric to the same. Havoc looked toward his leader who nodded his head with a silent command. With a swift kicked to the back of the prisoners leg, Havoc caused Eric's knees to buckle and he fell to the ground as if he were bowing down to his captor. He tried to stand up, however, Cyclops kept a heavy hand on his shoulder, preventing him from doing so.

"Ahh, Magneto. It's good to see you again." Taking the time to examine the shackles around his wrists and ankles, he insisted, "It _really_ is."

"Do with me what you will," his voice still sounded strong and commanding,"but I want to _first_ see my son."

Walking away from him, he mused, "Well, it is custom to grant a man one last wish before he dies." Turning his neck back, he added, "Because make _no_ mistake, you _are_ going to die."

Eric stared him down showing no visible sign of fear.

He clapped his hands twice and ordered, "Bring in the boy."

The determined look on Eric's face disappeared once he saw a side door open and his son come hopping through. Charlie looked to be in good health and that alone caused him some relief. A smile widened on his face when their eyes connected for the first time.

The boy's mouth opened wide with shock. He yanked his shoulder away from Riptide who was holding tightly onto him and ran toward his father. "Daddy!" Even though Eric was on his knees, Charlie was still shorter than him. He wrapped his arms tightly around Eric's upper body.

"Charles!" He kissed the boy's neck, wishing his hands were free so he could return the hug.

"Ah _knew_ yah would come get meh." He stated with certainty. His expression was bright, like a proud son who wanted everyone to marvel at the man who he considered to be the only father in the world.

"You know I could never leave you."

Charlie looked expectantly behind his father, searching for the one person who would complete the happy reunion. "Where's mamah?"

Before the look of hope could disappear from the boy's face, he informed, "She's at the house waiting for you to go home so she can tuck you into bed."

"And tell meh a story?"

"Anything you want."

"Yay!" He again wrapped his tiny arms around his father, squeezing tightly. "Ah missed yah."

"You look different, like you've grown." Oh, how he wished his hands were free so he could run them through Charlie's thick hair. "Your hair is changing, I knew it would." His son's bright green eyes staring back at him reminded him too much of the love of his life. "You're looking more and more like your mother everyday."

Charlie began to get impatient, his eyes glued to the door which lead out of the large room. "Ah wanna leave now."

"Soon, you'll leave soon." _And here comes the part I never wanted to say._ "But I won't be leaving with you."

"Why not?"

"Because I have to stay here with these men."

Charlie looked at the big burly men surrounding them, so large and intimidating. However, with his father by his side, he had no reason to worry and so he did not. "But Ah don't wan' yah tah stay." Whispering into his ear, he added, "Ah don't like them."

"I know, but I still must stay."

"But who's gonna take meh home?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Gambit will."

And for the first time since his father came into the room, Charlie looked back toward his road side companion. Remy nodded his head in response.

"Now, I don't want you to be scared."

Charlie puffed out his chest. "Ah'm not scared. Uncle Remy is yahr best friend, raht?"

_Uncle Remy? _Eric couldn't bring himself to answer the question with a lie so instead changed the subject. "I want you to be a good boy for your mother, okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"I know you will grow up to be a fine young man." With a kiss to the forehead, he added, "I know you will make me proud."

"Don't be sad." He placed a tiny finger on the edge of Eric's lip and tried to move it up to force a smile. "Yah always leave and yah always come back."

If ever he felt like crying, that moment would have been the perfect time for his tears to fall. _He is mirroring the same words I would tell him every time I had to go away on a mission. _It was fitting that his son was the strong one at that moment, trying to comfort _him_. "I love you, Charlie–always."

"Ah love yah too, papah–always." Again he gave his father a big hug, not hearing Sinister commanding his men to take Eric away.

Charlie stood happily as the guards forced Eric up and lead him out the door. He waved his arm frantically as he blew kisses and yelled, "Buh-bye!"

Maybe if Charlie were older and knew the seriousness of his last moment with his father, he would have taken the time to notice the sadness in his eyes, to analyze the haunting sound of his voice, to memorize the last words he would ever hear from him–instead he dropped to his knees and reached into his garbage bag of goodies, and took out a shiny red fire engine to roll around on the floor.

**(infirmary)**

Ororo slipped her hand underneath her medical robe and traced her fingers along her bandages. The pain was still strong and could be felt every time she made sudden movements to the left...and the right.

With all the alone time she had to herself, she could not help but scan the room, trying to find any way to make an escape. She wondered if escape was even possible and if she would have enough time to try and track down Jubilee.

_As soon as I can stand up without falling over, I'll find a way out of..._

Ororo felt a gust of wind and looked toward the direction it came from. Standing in the doorway was a tall dark muscular figure. Instinctively, her body tensed at the appearance of the man.

"Are you up to having visitors?"

She soon relaxed, somewhat. "In the shadows you look so much like your father."

Pietro stood motionless for a couple of seconds, realizing the observation came from a woman who hated his father. "Coming from you, I _won't_ take that as a compliment." Even though she did not invite him in, he walked in anyway stopping at her bedside. Waging his finger, he stated, "I knew you looked familiar when I first saw you in the sewers. How could I ever forget my sister's childhood friend?"

"It was many years ago." Making herself more comfortable on the pillow, she continued, "You were never around much back then."

He shrugged. "I guess not." He pulled one of the chairs closer to her bed and sat down. "Dr. Braddock says that you will fully recuperate."

She looked up to the ceiling with great relief. "Thank the goddess."

"Where will you go once you get the okay?"

Rising her brows in surprise, she said, "I'm surprised I have options. I assumed I would be held captive."

"The X-Men don't hold captives for longer than is absolutely necessary."

Ororo gave him a knowing look.

As if suddenly remembering he was talking to a former X-Man–a woman who knew his father's dealings as much as he did, he corrected, "Well, at least for the time being that _I'm_ in charge, we won't keep captives for longer than is necessary."

_In charge?_ "Where is Magneto?"

"An hour or so ago we got a message from Sinister." He sighed heavily, his earlier fears and concern for his father, returning in a stronger dose. "It turns out that Gambit has brought Charlie to Sinister and the _only_ way to get him back was for my father to go there alone."

Ororo sat up so quickly from her pillow, Pietro was almost certain she would fly away. "Magneto is going to sacrifice _himself_ for the boy?"

His jaws clenched with her mention of the word _sacrifice_. "We're praying it won't ever get to that point."

"Eric giving his life for Charlie," she whispered more so to herself than to him. Wringing her hands together, she muttered, "How absolutely...perfect."

**(meanwhile)**

The Thief stood in front of Sinister's most trusted man, Cyclops (his one eye forever a reminder of what Logan would do if anyone were to get too close to Jean Grey). He guarded the prison, blocking entry into the dark cell. "What are you doing here, Gambit?"

Remy pointed his head in the direction of the locked door. "How's he doin'?"

He glanced back at the steal door which had no windows–only a tiny sliding door, which was now closed. "He's as good as dead."

Remy could not accept his response. "I'm here to make sure of it." Gesturing his hand forward, he asked, "Can I pass?"

Nodding his head, Cyclops pressed the palm of his hand on a identification pad and the door opened.

Remy stepped into the dark cell as the door closed with a loud thud. Eric was not hard to place. The battered man sat slumped in the far corner of the room, his red uniform stained with dripping dark red blood. Remy saw the rips throughout his clothes, obviously burn marks from laser blasts and cuts from a sharp blade. His mouth had a trail of blood leaking down the side of his face. The thief noticed Eric's eyes were closed, though his right eye looked as if it was swollen shut.

Remy reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He deliberately made noise as he walked opposite Eric and leaned against the cold steal walls. Eric slowly open his eyes, one opened a bit wider than the other, and stared across the room at his ex-best friend–a man he now truly despised.

The two men did not speak, just staring intensely at one another. Eric coughed haggardly and wiped the blood from his mouth, clearly in pain, though he refused to voice his agony. His actions made Remy realize that he was not wearing shackles anymore, but he still had on an active Genosha collar.

He could see Eric was broken–Sinister's men had worked him over really good. _But it will be a slow death, _he observed to himself. Remy placed the cigarette to his lips then held out the package to the other man as a silent offering.

Instead of reaching for the box, he scoffed at the Thief's antics. "Are you here to finish me off?" He asked in a harsh tone of voice.

"No, I can wait." He lit the end of the cigarette using his kinetic energy. "I'm jus' a witness."

Eric became hypnotized by the glow of the cigarette. The bright light was the only thing with enough color for him to focus on other than the glow of Remy's eyes–and he refused to look Remy in the eyes. _How could I have ever been bested by him? How could I ever let him steal my family--the one thing he has always wanted. _"So, this was your plan all along."

He deeply sucked in the poison.

"...Get me out of the way so you can return back to the mansion with Charlie."

The nicotine invaded his system, relaxing his entire body.

"I can only imagine the story you'll make up to explain away my death to Rogue..." Eric chuckled eerily to himself, sounding a bit mad. "So you can have her for yourself."

He exhaled and watched as the grey smoke escaped his lips and threaten to overpower the clean air._ He still t'inks dis is 'bout Rogue._

"Where is Charlie now?"

Remy refused to answer.

He found the silence unnerving. "Why are you being so quiet?"

Looking at the long trail of ash hanging from the nicotine stick, he wondered aloud, "I'm t'inking if it's best t' let ya die wit'peace of mind."

"It's better I die knowing the truth," he countered.

"Even though dere's not'ing ya can do t' change it?"

He lifted his upper body further up the wall so he could see Remy more clearly. "What is it?"

"Dere's been a change of plans." He shook his wrist, the particles of the ashes dispensing into the air. "Sinister has ordered Charlie's death."

Eric did not flinch. "I don't believe you." He tried to get comfortable as he sought a better position against the wall, awaiting his tortured death. "You wouldn't let that happen. You could never hurt Rogue in such a way."

"Ya seem t' be confused. Dis _ain't_ 'bout Rogue." Twisting out the butt into the wall, he insisted, "Dis was _never_ 'bout Rogue."

His words reminded him of his conversation with Ororo and what she had said about Remy:

'_He doesn't love anything...' _

'_All he wants is money...'_

'_His hatred of you is but a memory..'_

Her words caused a knot in his stomach. _Could he be speaking the truth?_ _No! If I am wrong then..._he refused to even think of the consequences. "You're lying. Do not try and pull one over on me." He could feel his life slowly beginning to slip away and he tried hard to fight it. Looking at Remy in disgust, he confessed, "I still don't know how you found out, but I know that you know."

_He's finally perked my interest._ "Know what?"

He was confident in his theory. "I'm not falling for it."

"De lack of blood in your system mus' be doin' a number on your brain."

"You really _don't_ know?" And for only the second time in his life, he could feel himself beginning to panic. "Where's Charlie?"

"I already told ya his fate. He was taken away by Scalphunter and Riptide. If he's not dead now, he will be soon." Removing himself from the wall, he walked over to Eric and crouched down to him. "Was it wort' it? Ya let a _boy_ bring down de entire X-Men–or should I say, ya're love for Rogue."

"_Where_ is he!"

"I already told ya where he is."

"It's too late for me, but you can still _save_ him. You _have_ to help him."

Remy shook his head. "De t'ing is, I don't have t' do shit, but watch ya die."

"He's just a _boy_."

"He's a _liability_." With a shrug, he continued logically, "It's probably better off for all dat he dies. At least dis way, if de X-Men survives your death, dey won't be put in dis kind of situation again."

And even though he was near death, a burst of strength came from within and exploded big enough for Eric to reach up and latched onto Remy's jacket pulling him forward. "You _have_ to save him!"

"No, I don't."

"_Yes_, you do!"

"Why!"

"Because," he cried desperately, still trying to hold onto Remy with all the strength he could muster, "Because...Charlie is..._your_ son!"

**(elsewhere)**

Scalphunter, Riptide and Charlie were in small room to themselves. The two men were transfixed as they watched the boy crawl around on the floor pushing his fire truck, oblivious to the fact that he was about to die.

Just moments before, Charlie was admiring one of Scalphunter's many firearms. Scalp was amazed by how the boy held the gun to his face trying to look down the barrel. Scalp held onto the gun, careful not to pull the trigger, which was hard because Charlie kept on annoying him about how his mother does not let him near any guns–not even toy guns–or water guns–and especially not _'Uncle Victah's'_ gun collection.

Soon the boy grew tired of bugging the men with many questions and began playing by himself after they refused to give him _another_ piggyback ride.

"What are ya waitin' for?" Nudging Riptide forward with his elbow, Scalphunter ordered, "Off him."

Puzzled, he stared back at his partner. "You've been salivatin' while rubbin' that gun of yours for the past 15 minutes. I thought _you_ were gonna do it."

"Hell no!" he stated waving his hands. "Even though I am a ruthless killer, I do have standards."

"How so?" He asked watching as Charlie continued to bash the truck into the wall while making high pitch siren noises.

"For me to kill ya, you have to be above this height," he explained raising his hand up to his navel.

"That doesn't explain the midget you killed the other day."

"They like to be called 'little people'," he corrected as Charlie left the fire truck and picked up a toy airplane. "Anyway, he gave me a funny look."

"It wasn't on purpose. He was cross eyed."

"So now ya tell me." Pointing his finger into Riptide's chest, he asked, "So, why don't _you_ kill him?"

"That ain't gonna happen." He shuddered at the thought. "It'll be too creepy to snap his neck. And look at the size of this gun. It'll rip the sucker in half and I _ain't_ tryin' to see that. So what are we goin' to do?" He asked anxiously. "We got orders to kill the kid..."

"..._Charlie_!" The boy yelled as he continued to fly his plane around the room.

"...and if we don't, Sinister is gonna..."

"Yeah, hear, I know," Scalp said waving him off with aggravation. "Just let me think."

Staring at Charlie playing by himself, he mumbled, "There's got to be a way to kill him without _us_ having to kill him."

Rubbing his large gun, Scalphunter began to laughed darkly as an idea began to form in his mind. "I think I got it."

**(inside the cell)**

"Ya're delusional," Remy concluded after hearing he was Charlie's biological father. He had managed to getfree from Eric's grasp and was now pacing the cell. "Either ya're fuckin' insane or ya will truly say _anyt'ing_ t' get de kid back."

"I _know_ you slept with Rogue." His mind was beginning to wander. It was becoming harder for him to control his words. "It was over–all the vying for her attention–seeing which one of us she truly loved–it was over. She made her choice–she wanted to be with me, you _knew_ it! You knew _we_ were together. And then, you fucked her, you son of a bitch."

_Didn't Rogue swear me t' secrecy?_ "She told ya?" He asked curiously.

"No."

"Den what makes ya so sure?"

"She was _pregnant_ with your child!"

He rolled his eyes, already tired of Eric's lies. "Ya're goin' back t' dat story again, hieh?"

"Two mouths after you left the team..." he stopped to cough and then continued, "she told me she was pregnant. We were already married _three_ weeks–she figured we conceived on the first and only night we made love _before_ we got married–the night I proposed..." he again began to cough more loudly than before. "She couldn't wait, we couldn't wait until the honeymoon..."

Remy watched silently, waiting until the series of coughs subsided.

"Rogue was so excited when she told me she was pregnant. Really, she was glowing–beaming, so elated that she didn't notice how black my heart had become." He began to wheeze as he tried to breathe deeply. "She didn't realize I couldn't speak because my mouth was dry and that I didn't move because all my muscles were clenched. I knew right then that she wasn't carrying my baby. How could she be having my baby when years before I even thought about gathering a team together, I had a vasectomy–after my beloved wife passed and I swore I would never love again."

_Makes sense he would snip his balls. Even though he never talked much 'bout his first wife, he would confide in me how distraught he was after her death and how he would never marry or have children again. But I guess when he fell in love wit' Rogue, he couldn't tell her how far he went t' prevent himself from ever havin' kids. She would always talk 'bout wantin' t' have children..._

"I would have had my vasectomy reversed, but I did not get the chance."

"Ya're right, so I fucked her," he confessed matter-of-factly.

Even though Eric was experiencing physical pain, Remy finally admitting to sleeping with his wife caused his emotional pain to overtake him.

"Doesn't mean it's my kid. Now dat we don't have t' stand around here and pretend dat Rogue was chaste, did ya interrogate any of de other guys? Bobby, ol' Creed or even Pietro..._especially_ Pietro?"

"You fucking..."

"And if Blink had a dick I would of put her in de mix to," he continued, "Dat girl was cock-blockin' me so often I'd swear _she_ wanted Rogue..."

"Did you use a condom?"

"What?"

"Did you use a condom when you slept with Rogue, you bastard."

Remy thought back to that night many years ago and the answer came without hesitation. "As a matter of fact, I did. So, he's _not_ mine."

_That's impossible. _"You _did_ use one?"

"Yeah..._more_ dan one actually." Holding up his fingers, he counted, "On your bed, on de dresser and against de wall..." he paused a moment, upon remembering new details about that night. "Though dere was dat one time on de floor where I might of slipped it in wit'out slippin' one on." _Oops. _Shrugging his shoulders, he concluded, "I guess he could be my kid." Looking again over to Eric, he asked, "But de _white_ hair?"

"Yeah, that threw me too. But I talked to Mystique. She mentioned that when Rogue was born, her hair was white before it mostly turned auburn around the time she turned three." Reminiscing on his last moment with the boy, he said, "It took a little longer, but Charlie's hair is starting to change as well."

"How de _hell_ does dis make any sense?" he asked deeply confused. "Ya _knew_ all dis time dat kid was mine and yet ya're sittin' here _dyin'_ for him?"

He took long deep breaths before answering, "The night you informed me you were leaving the team...I was heartbroken. I loved you like a brother and I did not want you to go. Even when you left I still loved you and at the wedding I kept on looking back toward the door thinking you would have turned up–as a friend of mine, a best friend."

Remembering how emotional he was at that time, he knew that would have never been a possibility. _Like hell I was goin' t' deir weddin'._

"So when Rogue told me she was pregnant, all that love turned into hate. I hated you more than I could ever hate anyone. I hated you so much, I couldn't even look at my wife because I knew what she had done–I knew she had betrayed me." He could feel his legs begin to twitch. "And yet, I didn't say anything. I let my hatred fester while disappearing on long away trips during her pregnancy, leaving Creed to keep tabs on her and you during my absence." _Some part of me thought she would secretly seek out her old love–though it turned out never to be the case._ "But around the time she was due to be in labour, I made sure to make myself available. I wanted to be in the delivery room when the baby came out. I wanted to witness the look of dread on her face when the doctor handed her a baby with red eyes. I wanted to be there to see her stammer an explanation as to why my son was _not_ my son."

"So what happened?"

"None of the above. Rogue fell asleep almost instantly, the birth leaving her completely exhausted." His eyes began to roll to the back of his head. "The doctor put a healthy baby boy in my arms and said congratulations."

"And?"

Snapping back to reality, he answered, "And...he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. He opened his eyes–his _green_ eyes and they were so bright. He opened his little mouth wide for a tiny yawn--how could I have thought I could ever hate this child." He smiled at the memory. "He was perfect. So new, so fresh, I don't know how, but he reminded me of...Scarlet."

_His now dead daughter._

"Then I thought about you–how I wronged you. Even though I still hated you, I could see for the first time why you hated me. All that hate between us and still something so beautiful came out of it. At that moment I wanted to do something to make the situation right." He whispered, "And that's when Charles spoke to me."

Remy nodded his head. _De great Charles Xavier that long ago sacrificed his life for Eric._

"I heard his voice. He said I should take the son of my enemy and love him as my own..." Firmly, he stated, "Never forgetting he is _not_ my own."

Remy silently wondered how much of Eric's conversation with Charles was just Eric validating his _own_ thoughts on how he should handle the birth of Charlie. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself. _I refuse t' argue his bullshit._

"I started by naming my son, Charles-_Remy_...and when Rogue expressed interest in teaching him Spanish as a second language, I told her he should learn French."

"His interest in playin' cards?"

"I introduce that to him on his last birthday..." Everything around him looked hazy and out of focus. "You _have_ to get him back."

"He's dead."

"Not yet." In desperation, he begged, "You can _save_ him."

"Maybe I could...but ya're missin' one t'ing." Looking down at Eric, he said, "I don't wan' t'."

Remy was so close Eric looked into his eyes for the first time–_really_ looked into his eyes. It was suddenly clear to him how different Remy seemed–he was not the same man he knew years ago at the mansion. Again recounting Ororo's words, Eric tried to protest, but instead began to cough out more blood.

'_He doesn't love anything...' _

'_All he wants is money...'_

'_His hatred of you is but a memory..'_

"I was paid t' do a job and as long as I'm paid, I'll fulfill what is required." Bending lower toward the dying man, he could see the terror in Eric's eyes. "Dere was a time years ago when I last saw ya at de Hotel in D.C..." Tracing his eyes over the broken man, he spoke on, "I pictured dis moment. Me standin' over ya...wantin' t' put my hands around your neck and squeeze out your last breath..." Softly, he began to trace his fingers around Eric's neck, seeing the man tense in response. He knew there would be no force field to protect him from Remy's act of revenge. "And now I'm here...my dream could be reality..." His fingers began to close–his grip around Eric's neck becoming stronger-- he, too weak to fight back. Remy watched as Eric opened his mouth wider trying in vain to swallow more oxygen as his already pale face became even more so.

Without any warning, he released his grip and stood up tall as Eric gasped for air. "Yet now...I jus' don't care." He smiled happily with the revelation. "I jus' don't care."

Walking back over to the wall, he leaned against it and waited patiently.

**(meanwhile)**

"Perfect!" Pietro could not believe the callous way in which she was speaking about Eric. "I'm sitting here telling you that my father could be murdered and that's what you say?"

"I was deep in thought," Ororo tired to explain herself. "I didn't even know I was speaking out loud."

Trying to calm himself down, he reasoned, "I know my father brought you here under _false_ _pretenses_..."

"He told me a bold face lie..."

"I know--I mean, I didn't know then, but I found out after you left the team for good." Raising a finger in the air, he said, "But you can't deny that while you were here, he treated you like one of his own, like he treated all the X-Men. Maybe he was _misguided_..."

"...Wrong..."

"...in the way he went about certain things, but his heart was always in the right place."

"I guess you have to stick up for Magneto; after all, he is your dad, so I won't try to argue this point any further." Ororo thought back to days before watching Charlie as he played cards with Jubilee in their hideout. She remembered the mad look on his face when he realized that Jubilee would not take it easy on him. She also remembered the moment she saw Charlie's little fingers reach for the deck of cards and being struck with the realization that his hands were the exact replica (though on a smaller scale) of Remy's hands. _Yes, the boy truly looks like his mother, but Charlie's long delicate fingers were no match for Magneto's thick strong hands._

Again, she looked at Pietro, loving that Eric was dying for a another man's child. "It's just...perfect."

**(outside the prisoner's cell)**

Cyclops stared as Remy patted down his trench coat. His silence was starting to get to Cyclops, who finally asked, "Is he..."

With a new cigarette between his lips, he answered, "He's dead."

Cyclops glaned back at the door, keeping his thoughts private. "Are you sure?"

"I stood over him a couple minutes t' make sure he wouldn't start breathing again. His heart stopped."

He nodded his head in acceptance. "You're going back up to see Sinister?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let him know what happened." Looking back toward the cell, he added, "Tell him that I'll dispose of the body."

**(minutes later)**

Puffing on the last of his cigarette, he stood beside Sinister as he stared at the view screen which contained a series of numbers. "Mag's dead and his body's been disposed of."

His brow raised with excitement. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Excellent."

Remy waited for Sinister to say more, but soon gave up on waiting as Sinister continued to analyze the computer screen. "I'm ready to go."

He refused to look at the Thief. "Good riddance."

"Stop fuckin' around. I did what I was recruited t' do." Getting into Sinister's face, he demanded, "My _money_."

He smiled eerily staring into the eyes of a man that was once long ago apart of his team. Without looking back at Havoc, he ordered, "Give him his due."

Remy looked over to Havoc who approached him with a suitcase in hand. _Dere should be more dan one suitcase,_ he thought uneasily. He held out his hand and was puzzled to find that the suitcase was much lighter than it should have been. Looking apprehensively at all the silent faces in the room, he turned back to Sinister. "What's goin' on?"

"Take it and leave."

"Dis _ain't_ what we agreed on," he stated grinding his teeth.

"That's the _exact_ amount you need to pay off the Dark Beast."

Remy purposely did not hide his shock. _How the fuck did he find out what I needed the money for?_

"You'll get what you need eventually. Once Beast performs the surgery and gives you back your full powers, you'll be back on top again."

_Well, I'm glad he doesn't know Jean is suppose t' do de surgery._

"Take it and leave," he urged him. "I'm through with you."

Remy knew there was no sense in arguing; he also knew when Sinister was _'through'_ with someone, it usually was not a good sign.

With the suitcase in hand, Remy took one last look around the room before he headed through the door. Once he was out of their sight, he began running out into the dark forest knowing that there would be no jet to take him home. Still, that was the least of his concerns. _Dere is no way Sinister intends for me t' leave de property alive. _

He sprinted deeper into the forest, trying to get lost amongst the trees. He assumed he was being chased and his fears were confirmed once he heard his name being called repeatedly. It sounded as if they were taunting him--no use trying to run faster when their voices became louder instead of softer. Just hours before Remy was bragging about his luck and when he tripped and fell face first into the mud, he knew his luck had run out.

"Well looky here." Scalphunter laughed as Remy scurried around, rolling over only to be met by a gun pointing at his nose. "Why'd ya run?"

As he lay in the small muddy pool he looked up, unable to focus on anything else besides the barrel of the gun. "Come on, Scalp," he pleaded, trying to gain some kind of sympathy to use in his favor. "Ya _can't_ do dis."

"I can't?" He challenged, his finger itching to pull the trigger. "I already killed a kid today–if I could do that, this will be a piece of cake."

How sad. He was facing certain death and still could not bring himself to let go of the suitcase of money. "Scalp..."

"Sorry, Gambit," he lied–he was not sorry at all. "I'm just followin' the boss's orders. You out of anyone should be able to understand that."

He wanted to laugh at the irony, but the present situation forbade it. Closing his eyes, he awaited his fate with the Lord's prayer.

_...Forgive me my trespasses,_

_As I forgive does who trespass against me._

_Lead me not into temptation,_

_But deliver me from all evil..._

_**Zap!**_

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**Author's Note:** I know, I know, this was a very dark chapter. Still, I hope you all will still stick around for the next part. Pretty please ;o)

The new angle to the story started when Randi askedme about Magneto and his motivitionwhile I was writing this chapter. The question got me thinking back to the time Eric had Creed tailing Remy as he spied on a pregnant Rogue. What if then Eric thought Remy knew Rogue carrying his child all along? That idea grew into Magneto thinking Remy kidnaped Charlie with the hopes of getting Rogue back and being a real family. (Which is why Magneto was so sure in the past chapters that Remy would never hurt Charlie).

Because you all are such smart readers, I purposely kept the most obvious hints about Charlie's paternity for this chapter (though if you read past chapters a left tiny clues).

I was about to start typing my reasons for writing this story (in an early response to some of the reviews I might get), but I decided to wait until it's all over. So just roll with the story for now and I'll fully explain myself at the end.

Thank you for all the past comments. I'm off to finish up the next chapter of Interplay.

**Next Time: ...**


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